Today's marketplace is awash with skincare products, so many that it's difficult to distinguish between which ones will give you the most effective skincare. But, have you ever stopped to consider what ingredients are inside that jar of cream?
Maybe you never have or the thought had not crossed your mind. Our spotlight will fall on their use in some of the everyday products including the expensive brands.
What are the suspect ingredients that we should look out for? What part do they play and what are their effects on us? This article will take a short look at just a few of these often unnecessary and potentially harmful substances.
Let's jump straight in and look at Alcohols. This simple title belies the fact that there are numerous different chemical compounds, all within the same family and in some cases they are grouped as waxes and totally safe in skincare products.
Others meanwhile like methanol and ethyl alcohol are definitely uninvited guests. For some of us their presence could make our skin dry and irritable. Not the kindest way of treating it, if you have spent a lot of money on a product.
Moving swiftly on, the next bad apple that has raised my eyebrows is Dioxane, something the industry uses a lot it seems. Briefly it's a petrochemical that's been flagged by one state as being a serious cause of concern healthwize, because skin can easily absorb this.
Things don't get much better as we take a swipe at the different types of Parabens, used as preservatives in products like moisturizer cream. Their chief crime is being guilty of causing our bodies to react by the appearance of skin rashes.
This next lot might surprise you, Mineral oil. One cheap to produce and in particular that's used to keep in moisture is liquid paraffin. It acts by removing our natural oils and clogging pores, and that's just the half of it. Studies have linked it to other more serious side effects.
These are certainly not glowing endorsements for the most effective skincare and perhaps those glossy ads deserve a second look. Most producers, even at the high end of the market would rather you were not aware of all this.
This does not mean you ought to stop using products you already own as I'm by no means a scaremonger. However, you owe it to yourself to be better informed and say no to something which although it looks harmless may not be doing you any favors.
My skincare site discusses some of what we've discussed above, in more detail and provides solutions to those that are looking for a safer way to look after their skin.
Peter Foremski is content Editor of
an informational website that uncovers the best products for better looking skin and where to find them.
