Our skin is the largest organ in our body and it serves as a barrier against external factors as it protects other vital organs. Aside from that, our skin is also important because it involves our appearance and look. Our skin essentially helps us maintain and boost our self-esteem and confidence when it looks good. Naturally, we would want to make it look good, protect it and be very cautious and mindful of what products we put on our skin.
Additionally, our skin has the ability to absorb almost all skin products. However, this ability is not entirely beneficial since there are products that contain ingredients which can have a negative impact on our skin or worse, harm our skin. Extreme cases involve allergies, hormonal disruption, reproductive health problems as well as cancer. As such, it is very important to watch out what we apply into our skin. We listed down the ingredients you need to avoid in order to keep you and your skin safe and healthy.
- Fragrance
While fragrance is a big factor when it comes to skin care, it can be very dangerous if the fragrance included in the product is synthetic. More often than not, fragrance involves chemicals that are strong and harmful to the skin. This results in allergic reactions as well as rashes, skin irritations, burns and pigmentation. What is more dangerous is that there are no proper regulations when it comes to fragrance in skin care and so extra caution is always recommended.
- Parabens
Parabens is composed of several preservatives that prolong the life of skin care products by preventing the growth of bacteria and mold. However, Parabens (isobutyl parabens, propylparabens, methylparabens and others) can be harmful to the skin and body as they are actually chemicals that can disrupt hormones and they are also known to be allergens.
- Retinol
Retinol is mostly found in products that focus on anti-aging since Retinol is an alternative form of Vitamin A. While Vitamin A helps with immunity and growth, Retinol does not entirely benefit the skin as they are found to be culprits that speed up skin tumors and even cause skin irritations. As such, Retinol is usually discouraged in cases of pregnancy.
- Mineral Oil
Mineral Oil is commonly found in makeup products as well as sunscreen products. While it is particularly hard to avoid since these products are almost essential to our daily lives, it has been found to be dangerous as it increases the risk of cancer. Fortunately, small amounts of mineral oil will not be as dangerous. Still, it is still important to watch out and avoid this ingredient and look for alternatives.
- Lead
Lead is usually found in lipsticks, powders, shampoos and body lotions. It can be easily absorbed by our skin. However, Lead is incredibly unsafe as it can damage our kidneys. It can also damage our nervous system. While there are a lot of things to avoid, Lead is the most unsafe ingredient out there and so, it is very important to be cautious with different products.
