What ingredients you should avoid in your cleanser?
“You are what you eat” and the same theory holds true for your skin. What kind of products you apply, the type of ingredients being used and how those affect you after being absorbed through your skin, all matters to you.
Do you ever look at the long-list of ingredients over the packaging of your favourite cleanser with unfamiliar names and wondering what are those? Even if you recognize some of them, how well do you know which ones are safe for your use?
With so many different cleansers in the market, it’s hard to know what makes a good cleanser for your skin. To help you out, read on to keep an eye for the most common yet harmful skincare ingredients that you should avoid having them in your facial cleanser and why you need to be extra careful about.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLES)
Often referred to as SLS, it’s a powerful and effective ingredient that usually found in foaming cleansers as it helps to remove excessive oil. People might be tempted with this cleansing agent due to it’s nice and clean feeling you experience immediately afterwards. However, a study showed that SLS is known as one of the most harmful ingredients to the skin. Overuse of SLS might result in stripping your skin and damaging the protective barrier which could directly results in moisture loss.
Synthetic Fragrance
Why do so many products (either skincare or haircare) contain fragrance? The answer is simple. Most people usually prefer pleasant scent over odorless. However, research has shown that fragrances in skincare products are among the most common cause of negative skin reactions and sensitizing. For instance, dry and skin irritation. This applies to all types of skin, not just those with redness-prone or sensitive skin. Fragrances contain hormone disruptors and they are known as the top 5 allergens in the world. Thus, it’s advisable to pick fragrance-free products wherever possible.
Parabens
Parabens are widely used as preservatives in cosmetic products to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast. This allows those products to be kept for a longer period of time. But, do you know they do more that that? Concern has raised in recent years showing that parabens could lead to serious health side effects such as allergic reactions, breast cancer, increase estrogen production and many more.
Alcohols
As you may notice, alcohols are often used in many beauty products as one of the base ingredients as they could help ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C to penetrate the skin more effectively. Although they could aid other ingredients to absorb well, do you know it could harm and cause damage to the skin. For instances, they could lead to skin dryness or even make acne worse.
Artificial Colouring
Do you ever notice FD&C or D&C on your product label and wondering what are those ? They are basically artificial colours being used to make your skincare products more appealing. Most of those artificial colorants are made from coal tar or petroleum which contain heavy metals such as lead. By using products contained these toxins could lead to the risk of skin irritation, sensitivity and even blocked pores. Things could get worse and cause even greater damage as the chemicals could be absorbed directly into your body.
With a few mindful steps, you could protect, heal and keep your skin healthy. Educate yourself, read labels to avoid products with these harmful ingredients and do research before you make your next purchase.
Related:Calendula Cleansing Stick
