Beauty Ingredients You Want To Steer Clear Off!.. Not Beauty Ingredients But Disaster Ingredients!
Beauty standards in this world and age can be deceiving, and the skin and beauty products available in the market, more so. Though the skincare game has changed a great deal in the past few years, are we really using the right skincare products with the right beauty ingredients? We can easily say that the answer is NO!
You’ll be shocked to know the adverse effects and consequences these ingredients can have on your skin. Now, one might say, but I don’t see any visible harm happening through my moisturizer or serum. They have worked just perfectly for me over the years of usage.
Well, to clear your misunderstanding, these ingredients show their adverse effects over a period of time by depleting your skin cells by generating free radicals and hindering collagen growth.
To make you understand the various hostile effects of these ingredients, here we’ll discuss in-depth the most harmful chemicals that you’ll find in your cosmetic products.
Perfume/Fragrance
We’ve put Perfume, also known as Frangrance, first on the list because this is the most harmful one. Unfortunately, it is present in almost all the skincare and makeup products you are using. Everyone loves a good smell in their product, generating the need to include perfume in your skincare product.
Perfume generates contact dermatitis, a condition of skin irritation or redness. You will hardly notice any harmful effect instantly, but prolonged usage of perfume in your product will eventually generate a delayed reaction.
What’s more, is how perfumes act as a co-sensitizer. It means fragrance makes your skin irritant to all the ingredients being used in that product. Earlier, you were not allergic to a good ingredient like Glycerin in your moisturizer, but now perfume has made you allergic to that also. You might also suffer sudden rashes in later years.
There are millions of perfumes available in the market. Simultaneously, there are no standardized or regulatory guidelines applicable to the use of perfume in skincare and makeup products worldwide. A company can include any kind of perfume, and they are obligated to mention the names.
If you don’t want to look aged early, next time, you better run far away when you see the word Perfume/Frangrance in your product.
Denatured Alcohol
Another villain of our skin, denatured alcohol or alcohol, is the root of premature aging. Used as a solvent that rips our skin apart, which in turn generates free radicals. Free radical is a state where your skin cells are damaged or dead. Your skin loses its natural defense mechanism, which further damages your collagen. Collagen is the natural protein that skin cells make.
Look for ingredients like ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, and isopropyl alcohol to identify Denatured Alcohol.
Parabens
In recent years, Parabens’ been the talk of the town when it comes to anything skin, hair, and make-up. Parabens have become the new no-no word synonymous with danger. Let’s find out the truth here.
Parabens are simply preservatives that help your cosmetic products live longer. They penetrate the skin tissues and disrupt your breast hormones by triggering an increase in breast cell division and tumor growth.
But parabens aren’t the only harmful preservatives found in skincare. There are much worse. Common names of parabens are butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben.
Triclosan
Primarily found in soaps and body washes, toothpaste, deodorants, etc., Triclosan is an agent that makes bacteria resistant to antibiotics. It acts as an endocrine disruptor and a skin irritant.
Lead
Does your lipstick look bright and vibrant? It’s most probably the lead element in it that does the trick. We also find lead in kajal, kohl, eye-liners, foundation, and whitening toothpaste. But Is it harm-free?
Yes. Lead is a neurotoxin and can be dangerous at small doses. Medical experts are clear that any level of lead exposure is unhealthy.
- Neurotoxicity: Linked to learning, language, and behavioral problems.
- Reduced fertility in both men and women
- Hormonal changes and menstrual irregularities
- Delayed onset of puberty in girls and development of testes in boys.
Chemicals in Sunscreen
Chemicals like PABA, benzophenone, oxybenzone [10], ethoxycinnmate, and homosalate are present in physical sunscreens in huge quantities. These chemicals penetrate under the skin and make a home in your blood cell. They cause hormone disruption, skin allergy, and other concerns.
Sunscreen is required to be reapplied every 4-6 hours daily to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays. Alter to mineral sunscreen that consists of safe ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
Other harmful chemicals present in physical sunscreen are, Benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-Methyl benzylidene camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, Octinoxate, and Octocrylene.
Formaldehyde
Used as a preservative to make your cosmetic products’ shelf life longer, Formaldehyde is a contagious gas that’s either directly added to cosmetics or released through preservatives. It is incredibly harmful to the health of infants and adults alike. It can cause cancer and skin irritation.
Commonly found in Nail polish, nail glue, eyelash glue, hair gel, hair-smoothing products, baby shampoo, body soap, body wash, color cosmetics.
Look for words like quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl urea, polyoxymethylene urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol), and glyoxal in your ingredients label.
Mineral Oil
Mineral oil is a “comedogenic” ingredient in skincare which means that this has properties that can clog your pores. Due to clogging, your skin is more likely to accumulate dust and bacteria, causing skin breakouts, acne, and blackheads. It is commonly found in lotions, moisturizers, creams, ointments, lip gloss, concealer, eyeshadow, SPF, and balm cleansers.
Talc
Who doesn’t use a good talcum powder when the weather is hot to reduce some sweat. From babies to men and women, all use talc in daily life. But Is your talc safe to your skin?
If talc is inhaled by accident by babies, it can cause severe respiratory conditions. Repeated inhalation can cause lung problems in adults, including asthma, bronchitis, and talcosis. Suppose women use talc in their genital parts, the risk of ovarian cancer increases by 30% to 60%. Other products that contain talc are blush, face powder, eye shadow, foundation, concealer, mascara, eyeliner, to name a few.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) PEG, Ammonium Laurel Sulfate (ALS)
Almost all body wash, cleansers, shampoos, and hand washes contain elements of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) PEG, Ammonium Laurel Sulfate (ALS). These ingredients are responsible for forming creamy lather and bubble to give you a squeaky clean wash.
But they are well known to strip your skin of its natural oils and incur irritated eyes, skin, and lungs, especially with long-term use. Other harms of these chemicals are Dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, skin rashes, hormonal disruptions and dizziness, and headaches.
What’s elementary here is to understand that using the right products with good ingredients comes from a place of regular education. We need to be aware of the ingredients and chemicals we put on our skin daily that are good for it.
Not to forget how the marketing gimmicks, the so-called conventional big brands worldwide, present to you. The marketing gimmicks can be pretty misleading, making us believe that our skin needs these fruity, pleasant smells to feel good. In the name of natural ingredients like fruits, vegetables, plants, and whatnot, they offer you garbage chemicals.
That’s the point though, we consumers don’t look at the ingredients or quantity of a component present in a product. Instead, we are impressed by the packaging and what the company shows in the advertisements. But what we need are good ingredients that restore our skin cells and protect them from harmful factors like sun, climate, and whatnot.
