Skin Care Product Ingredients to Avoid

Avoid Problems with Skin Care Product Ingredients

Skin care product ingredients are something you should become familiar with if you are considering using any skin care product. That skin cream or lotion you are applying to your face or body could very well contain ingredients that nourish and rejuvenate your skin, but on the other hand, they could also contain ingredients that age or damage your skin, or that cause harm to your body.

Some skin care product ingredients have no effect whatsoever on your skin, other than making your purse or wallet a little lighter. But our focus here is on those ingredients that you would be better off avoiding.

Unfortunately, too many skin care products, including so-called “natural” products, do your skin and body more harm than good. Don’t be mislead by those glossy images of gorgeous women with flawless skin. Amazingly, some of the products associated with those glamorous images contain some of the very same harsh chemicals that are used in various industrial processes.

We’ve put together a list of skin care ingredients that you should avoid. We suggest you always examine the ingredient list of any skin care or body care product you are considering using.

But this rule applies to anything you eat and drink as well. Always be aware of what is going into your body, not just what you are applying to the outside. What you process and digest  inside your body will have a huge impact on the health and appearance of your skin.

14 Skin Care Product Ingredients to Avoid 

Acrylamide: This substance appears in many hand and face creams on the market. Why is this on the list? Well, some studies suggest it may cause breast tumors.

Alcohols: Not all alcohols are the same, and we need to distinguish those that you will want to avoid in your skin care ingredients from those that may be safely included. Some alcohols such as benzyl, isopropyl, ethyl, ethanol methanol, and SD alcohol are quite harsh. They dry and irritate your skin by stripping away the dermis’s natural acid mantle. This stripping action makes your skin more vulnerable to bacteria, viruses and moulds and can lead to premature aging of your skin and brown spots on your face and skin. Other alcohols, such as stearyl and cetearyl alcohol can be safely used in skin care products. They are actually waxes, having nothing in common with the harsh alcohols listed above.

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine): These chemicals are typically used to adjust pH. Their use in Europe has been restricted because of concern that they may have carcinogenic effects. TEA has been known to cause  allergic reactions in some people, including eye problems and excessive dryness of skin and hair.  

Dioxane: What makes this ingredient especially dangerous is the ease with which it is absorbed by the skin by virtue of its high concentrations of 1,4-dioxane, which the state of California has concluded is a cancer-causing agent. This should come as no surprise given it is a by-product of the petrochemical ethylene oxide, known to cause cancer. According to the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1,4-Dioxane may be toxic to other parts of the human body, including the kidney, as well as the nervous and respiratory systems. It also contaminates groundwater.

Fragrances: Fragrances may smell nice, but many of these can contain toxic or carcinogenic ingredients. They can also alter your mood, making you irritable, hyperactive, or depressed.

Mineral oils: These petroleum by-products (known as petrolatum, liquid paraffin, and paraffin wax) work to keep moisture from escaping your skin. That may seem like a good idea until you consider that when mineral oil coats your skin, it is actually clogging your  pores and making it more difficult for your skin to breathe and sweat. Your skin's ability to eliminate toxins becomes compromised, leading to acne breakouts and and other skin disorders. Ironically, rather than protect your skin, they actually strip the natural oils from your skin, leaving it drier than it was, and drier skin leads to premature aging of the skin and wrinkles.

Nitrosamines: When DEA, MEA or TEA (see above) combine with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives like bronopol or quaternium-15 in skin care products, nitrosamines are the result. This is a deadly combination, as nitrosamines are known to be carcinogenic.

Padimate-O (octyl dimethyl): This too is a nitrosamine-forming agent (see nitrosamine, above) and is used primarily in sunscreens, which are supposed to “protect” your skin. Unfortunately. Padimate-O’s reaction to the sun can lead to the development of free radicals, which can damage your skin and elevate your risk of skin cancer.  

Parabens: Lots of skin care products contain ingredients such as methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl parabens. There is much discussion about whether these are harmful or not. See our article on Parabens. They have been widely used for a very long time as preservatives in many skin care products such as skin moisturizers. Some studies suggest they may cause cancer if used in extremely high quantities. Parabens may not be as harmful as some may suggest, but if there are good paraben-free products available, why take the chance?

Phenol carbolic acid: This skin care ingredient is often present in skin lotions and creams. Don’t want to be overly dramatic here, but this is not something you would want to apply to your skin. This skin care product ingredient has been associated with disastrous and deadly reactions by some, such as circulatory collapse, respiratory failure, comas and even death. These are rare instances but definitely a cause for concern.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG): This ingredient has a dual purpose, that of emulsifier (to bind together substances that normally don’t naturally bind together, like oil and water), and that of humectant (to hold water and retard evaporation). There are suspicions that PEG  may be carcinogenic.

Rancid natural emollients: Some skin care products use “natural” oils. That is a good thing. But these oils should be cold pressed, not refined. The refining process strips away an oil’s nutrients and introduces poisonous trans fatty acids.

Toluene: This petroleum or coal tar by-product can be found in many synthetic fragrances (see Fragrances, above). It can also go by the names of benzoic and benzyl. Toluene can be found in Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). What makes this ingredient one to avoid is that it has been associated with liver and kidney problems, low blood cell count, and anemia. It may also affect pre-born babies in the womb.

Triclosan: This anti-bacterial agent is not only used in weed killers, but also in many skin care products. That should be enough to give one pause. Studies have linked triclosan with the development of bacteria strains that are resistant to antibiotics.

Use Only Products with the Best Skin Care Ingredients

Your skin is a vital part of who you are and how you feel about yourself. It’s also a reflector of inner health. Do yourself a favor and make sure you know which skin care ingredients you should be avoiding.

Unfortunately, many of the most hyped-up skin care product companies put more time and effort into their marketing, advertising, and fancy packaging campaigns than they do into producing effective skin care products that use the highest quality ingredients in the right amounts and potencies.

Click Xtend-Life for one such company, pay less, and avoid the skin care product ingredients that keep you from having healthy, beautiful skin.