The whole purpose of skincare products is for the lotions and potions to be absorbed by your skin. Simply put, if you’re putting it on, it’s going in.  And that means your body will be soaking up all the ingredients in your skincare products – whether they are synthetic or natural. 

It may shock you to learn that there are many chemical ingredients in skin care products that are banned from being taken orally, but given the green light for inclusion in skin preparations.  These toxic chemicals are absorbed into the blood stream through your skin and some doctors believe they are the source of eczema, asthma and even cancer.   

But not all chemicals are bad.  Unless you are willing to keep your skincare products in the fridge, they need some chemicals in them to preserve them and give them a shelf life.  What you need to do is to find skin care products that ideally omit or use the lowest concentration of potentially harmful chemicals. 

The list of chemicals used by skincare manufacturers is extremely lengthy. Pick up any product on your bathroom shelf and you are likely to be baffled by the long, complicated names of ingredients.  However it is possible to highlight a few ingredients that may be worthwhile avoiding, as they are recognised as the possible cause of health problems.

1.  Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl etc): Widely used as preservatives, Parabens have been linked to hormone function imbalance and have been detected in breast tumours. They have also been linked to asthma and eczema. 

2.  PEGs: Otherwise known as Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is used in cleaners and even some oven cleaners to dissolve oil and grease.  They may also be contaminated with Dioxane, a carcinogen. PEGs are found in many personal care products.

3.  Phthalates: These are found in so many products, from plastics to shampoo.  They are believed to be hormone disrupting and can cause damage to vital organs. Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is found in fragrances but it has been linked to infertility and birth defects.  Unfortunately manufacturers are not required to list phthalates on labels, so they are difficult to avoid.

4.  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: SLS is used in thousands of cosmetic and health care products, including most toothpastes. It is used to create lather.  It’s a strong degreaser that dries skin and hair and can cause eczema in some people. It took me twenty years to realise that it was the SLS in my toothpaste that was causing my miserable battle with mouth ulcers.

5.  Propylene Glycol: This is recognised as a neurotoxin and is known to cause dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. Even so it is widely used as a moisture-carrying ingredient (humectant) instead of glycerine because it is cheaper and absorbs well.  It is used in antifreeze and hydraulic brake fluid and some manufacturers use it just to keep their machinery well oiled – it has no function in the product itself!

6.  Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA) and Monoethanolamine (MEA): These are known to be hormone disrupters and can combine with nitrates to cause cancer.  Unfortunately these ingredients do not need to be listed on product labels.

7.  Synthetic Fragrance: This is a term used by manufacturers to hide a plethora of ingredients, many of which you may wish to avoid.

8.  Alcohol: (Isopropyl Alcohol, SD Alcohol 40, Ethyl Alcohol):  Alcohol is drying; it dissolves the body’s natural moisture and strips the skin of its natural protection.  Although it has been used traditionally to help spot-sufferers, in fact it simply encourages the skin to produce more oil, exacerbating the problem.  Alcohol can destroy the skin's natural pH balance and even speed up wrinkling.

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