Skin care ingredients to avoid

sarahbendt · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 5

MINERAL OIL A liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum, mineral oil can attract dirt and causes blackheads and eruptions. It can accelerate free radical damage, thus speeding up the aging process, because it causes toxins that build up in the skin.

ALL WAXES SUCH AS PARAFFIN, BEESWAX, CANDELILLA WAX, CARNAUBA WAX Waxes are widely used in cleansing creams, eye creams, and moisturizers. Waxes clog pores, creating blackheads and whiteheads. They also smother the skin, which over time creates an enlarged pore problem.

LANOLIN A yellow, semi-solid, fatty secretion from sheep’s wool is widely used in skin and beauty care products. It can cause an allergic reaction in some people, as well as enlarged pores.

PETROLATUM This familiar, semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons is derived from petroleum. Literally, "paraffin jelly" or "petroleum jelly," it is not absorbed by the skin and suffocates the pores. All petrochemicals pollute water and destroy marine life. Avoiding these chemicals is essential for humans, animals, fish, water, land, and air.

ACETONE Used in nail polish and nail polish removers, this colorless, volatile liquid is often used in astringents, fresheners, or clarifying lotions. It is extremely toxic and will dehydrate the skin, while speeding up the aging process.

BORAX (Sodium Borate, Boric acid) Used in baby powders, bath powders, eye creams, skin fresheners, and protective creams as a preservative, borax is rapidly absorbed by the skin. Despite repeated warnings from the American Medical Association, it is still widely used in many products.

ALCOHOLS SUCH AS ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, SD ALCOHOL 40, ETHYL ALCOHOL Alcohols dissolve the body’s natural moisturizers and strip the skin of its protection, leaving it vulnerable to infection. Alcohols destroy skin’s pH balance, and since they absorb water, they speed up wrinkling.

FD&C When this abbreviation precedes the name of a color, it means that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has certified it as safe for use in drugs and cosmetics, but not food. D&C colors are usually synthetic, coal tar colors. They’re toxic and should be avoided when at all possible.