Natural vs. CHEMICAL ingredients

chemical ingredients irritate skin Do you ever wonder why there are so many skin allergies, why your child develops skin rashes, and why so called natural cosmetics actually damage your skin? The answer can be found in the composition of personal skincare products.

Reading the label, or even more important, being able to recognize safe ingredients to harmful chemicals, is the first step in protecting yourself.

How do I avoid the most harmful ingredients?
How do I know if toxic chemicals are not listed on the label?
How do I know if a ‘certified organic' skincare product is a 100% organic?
What are the natural ingredients that preserve skin care products?
What are the natural ingredients used in personal care products?

How do I avoid the most harmful ingredients?

Many products are made from petrochemicals and should be avoided because they are easily absorbed by your body (causing rashes, allergies, etc.) and transported throughout your body (causing all kind of health problems).

Here is a list of the most commonly used harmful chemicals:

Methyl, propyl, ethyl, butyl paraben

These are used to extend the shelf life of products but are known to be toxic and cause allergic reactions.

Triethanolamine (tea), diethanolamine (dea)

These are used as emulsifiers most of the time. They can form cancer-causing nitrosamines and cause allergic reactions.

Diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea

These are preservatives that can cause contact dermatitis.

Sodium lauryl – laureth sulphate

These contain cleansing properties, but are often derived from petroleum, which causes eye irritation when used in shampoos, skin rashes, dandruff, etc.

Petrolatum

This is a cheap mineral oil used for emollient properties. It can lead to dryness and chapped skin.

Propylene glycol

This is originally natural (vegetable glycerine mixed with grain alcohol), but is usually a synthetic petrochemical that is known to cause eczema, hives, and allergic reactions.

Pva/va copolymer

This is derived from petroleum and can be considered toxic. It can damage the lungs of sensitive problems.

Stearalkonium chloride

This is a toxic chemical used in fabric softener. It can cause allergic reactions.

Synthetic colors

These are labelled as FD&C or D&C and can be carcinogenic.

Synthetic fragrance

The word ‘fragrance' can hide one of the 200 ingredients that can cause skin irritation, rashes, dizziness, headaches, etc.

How do I know if toxic chemicals are not listed on the label?

Be aware that all ingredients aren't required to be listed on the label when they are used in small amounts and companies don't have to pass strict safety tests.

As a result, you could be surprised what is not revealed on your skincare product label: what are never listed are usually the carcinogenic or toxic solvents that are used to make the ingredients.

The best way to be sure a product does not contain harmful chemical is to check if the company uses only the safest ingredients, which means to find a reliable cosmetic database making product reports.

We advise you to take a look at an excellent cosmetic database for skincare products: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. It pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases.

How do I know if a ‘certified organic' skincare product is a 100% organic?

Due to a lax regulation, many personal care products use the word "organic" but they actually use petrochemical material instead of organic material in making their main cleansing ingredients.

Some so-called organic products have even been tested positive for the carcinogen 1,4-Dioxane in a study commissioned by the Organic Consumers Association.

The word "organic" is not properly regulated on personal care products as it is on food products.

You should look for products certified under the USDA National Organic Program to be sure they don't use any non-organic materials.

Be careful with weaker standards like Ecocert and OASIS standards; Ecocert actually allows certain petrochemicals in cleansing ingredients.

Useful links:

What are the natural ingredients that preserve skin care products?

Natural preservatives and antioxidants can be used to preserve skin care products. Preservatives are substances that kill bacteria, yeast and fungi and have no effect on the shelf life of the oils.

Since these organisms love humid environments, skin care products requires preservatives when water is present - like in creams and lotions. On the contrary, soaps and oil-based skin care applications do not need preservatives because bacteria avoid waterless environments.

There are many natural preservatives such as natural extracts, plants, and essential oils. However, these substances can be toxic. For example, citrus or grapefruit seed extracts have natural antimicrobial properties, but can be the cause of hormonal imbalances.

On the other hand, anti-oxidants inhibit oxidation and prolong the shelf life of products by preventing the oil from turning rancid. However, they have no effect on fungi, bacteria, and yeast. A good antioxidant is Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE).

Citrus seed extracts are often used despite the potential negative side-effects. There are also substances that protect skin cells from the damaging effects of oxidisation, including carotenes (vitamin A and betacarotene), vitamin C, and vitamin E