Ingredients to Avoid For Skincare

When I was younger, I made a mistake of not looking into the ingredients of skincare products. I would normally use toners and facial wash that were available at the grocery store and they were all quite affordable. However, your skin absorbs at least 60 % of the product you apply and many can contain harmful ingredients like Alcohol and Parabens which can be detrimental to your skin. Your skin won't be able to look as good as it should be and it may even lead to acne breakouts.

1.Alcohol

Basically, alcohol destroy's your skin's protective barrier and is extremely drying. I used to use a toner from Nivea and I didn't pay attention to the ingredients, but there was alcohol in it. Alcohol dries out your skin, worsens acne and oiliness. Many may think that products that claim to mattify your skin would help your oiliness, however, it does not. The alcohol strips away your skin's natural oil and dries out your skin and also leaves your skin open to more bacteria. This accumulation of bacteria would then lead to acne.

2. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Sulfate is often found in cleansing products such as your facial cleansers and shampoo. This ingredient irritates your skin as it strips your skin's natural oils where it causes redness and itching. In hair products, Sulfates can lead to brittle hair and fade hair colouring.

One thing to note about Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: Both ingredients strip away your skin's natural oils. Many people with oily skin will think that repeatedly using the products that claim to help reduce oiliness helps, but it does not because the more you remove the natural oils from your skin, the more your skin produces oil. This also includes over cleansing, because over cleansing does the same thing and leaves your skin exposed to more bacteria. 

3. Paraben

Common parabens to look out for are methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben. Parabens are the preservatives in your products that allow it to be stored for a long time. However, parabens have been found to have led to breast cancer and interfere with the production of the hormone -estrogen.

4. Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is commonly found in a lot of skincare products like lotion, shampoo and soaps, as well as cosmetic products like your makeup and nail polishes. Formaldehyde leads to skin irritation and more importantly, excess exposure leads to cancer.

5. Fragrances

Fragrances irritates your skin although you do not see an immediate reaction. Fragrances can appear as "Parfum", "Perfume"," Limonene"," Linalool", etc. Fragrances are only there to make your product smell good, however, fragrance is an ingredient harmful for those with sensitive skin as it a common cause for skin allergy.

So before you purchase your next skincare product, you should pay attention to the ingredients. I thought about this post because I have a friend who asked me how to clear his acne, but I found out that he was using a facial wash from Daiso. He also washes his face once he feels that it is too oily, and I told him not too but he does not want to listen. So, this post is for him.