Top 3 Skincare Ingredients to Avoid
You pick up a new skincare product, only to be confused by the abstractly worded ingredients list and attractive packaging… how do you know what to choose? Simply selecting an item for what it claims to do or whom endorses it isn’t a viable option. This understandably makes it difficult to find the products that work best for our skin – unless we know what to avoid.
Image Source: Charisse Kenion
With a $740 billion global cosmetic industry and rapidly increasing social interest in personal skincare, it’s no surprise consumers are overwhelmed with product choice. Newer brands like Drunk Elephant and Kylie Skin have both found significant success in the millennial market by appealing to the ‘Instagrammable’ demographic, but have also battled notable controversy over the feasibility of their product ingredients.
With an overwhelming 5.3 million Australian women purchasing cosmetics every six months, it’s more than likely you have found yourself wondering what you should truely be purchasing for your skin.
The Ingredients to Look Out For
Essential Oils
Consumers interest in natural cosmetics is on the rise, growing 9-10% per annum. This doesn’t necessarily equate to effectiveness in skincare, especially when it comes to essential oils (EO). EO’s are defined as chemically compounded essences extracted from natural plant materials primarily through the process of distillation.
Truthfully, EO’s really aren’t essential at all. Most variations take advantage of the natural market segment pushing benefits that other traditional ingredients ‘simply can’t provide’. Apart from having a short shelf life, products including EO’s are reactive to light, moisture, oxygen and heat and therefore can easily be compromised. They also increase your susceptibility to adverse reactions and inflammation.
If you decide to use EO’s in your skincare, ensure you understand how it will affect your skin.
Image Source: Logan Nolin
Synthetic Fragrances
Synthetic fragrances in skincare smell great! And… well that’s about it.
You see fragrances are really just chemical compositions created to mask artificial scents and increase product appeal. Much like EO’s, fragrances can irritate skin, being the most common cause of cosmetic dermatitis (rash reaction).
Ensure you are reading the ingredients list of a product as some skincare items boast ‘fragrance free’ and ‘unscented’ on their packaging yet fail to mention this is due to scent covering molecules or the injection of essential oils.
Image Source: Jess Harper
Oxybenzone
An organic molecule and synthetic chemical, oxybenzone exists primarily in chemical sunscreens to protect your skin from UV rays. Sounds scary right? Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it seems.
Essentially, oxybenzone blocks the sun’s rays through chemical absorption into the skin and bloodstream. This poses a significant dermatologist sighted risk of skin irritation and possible internal health effects.
Sun protection is still essential to all skincare routines though so avoid ditching these products altogether and opt for a physical blocker that actually prevents both UVA and UVB rays from penetrating the skin with a surface level coating.
Image: Eden Mitchell – Sourced from: La Roche-Posay
Look at the products you currently use and analyse the ingredients list knowing what you know now, you will be surprised at what you find! Let me know below!
Want to find out more? Watch the video below for a visual ideation of this information from a skin care specialist!
Video Source: Hyram