The largest organ of your body is your skin. It’s no wonder we invest so much time and money into our skin care products. But all that time and money is pointless if the products we are using contain chemicals that cause more harm than good. Not every chemical is bad, and we want to make that very clear to our clients and readers. However, there are thousands of toxic chemicals and ingredients found in skin care products. In fact, the European Union has banned over 1200 chemicals, while the United States has only banned about 10. Since all of those harmful chemicals can be legally added to our skin care in the U.S., we’ve put together a short list of 6 ingredients you would be best to eliminate completely from your products.
- Artificial Fragrances
Although we love a scent that makes us die and go to heaven, artificial fragrances have been linked to hormone disruption, birth defects, infertility, and cancer.
- Animal Byproducts: ingredients derived from the body of an animal, such as fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, isinglass, rennet, etc.
The description alone sounds disgusting, but even worse are the effects these ingredients can have on you due to their risk of transferring hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides carried by the animal. Check out the list of animal byproducts from Peta.
- Parabens: a group of compounds used as preservatives in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries
The word “paraben” is great at sending shivers down spines, but we have found that many fear them without understanding what they really are. Parabens are thought to be linked to breast cancer, however, there has not been any solid scientific proof of this correlation. Read our blog on parabens to make a more informed decision for yourself.
- Petroleum: a fossil fuel produced deep in the earth over a process that took millions of years to complete
Petroleum products place a barrier over the skin, preventing it from being able to properly sweat, and therefore keeping your kidneys and liver from being able to completely detoxify. - Mineral Oil: obtained from petroleum by distillation
Mineral oil is found in 96% of skin care products. Like petroleum products, mineral oil also forms a physical barrier over your skin and clogs pores. The result is the skin’s inability to receive nutrients and release toxins. - Triclosan: an antibacterial and antifungal agent found in consumer products such as toothpastes, soaps, and detergents
While we love being squeaky clean, we don’t like skin irritation, liver toxicity, heart disease, hormone disruption, or muscle impairment, which are all things that this harsh ingredient is linked to.
