Which ingredients you want to avoid in cosmetics

“Natural skin care”

Is a term used regularly in the skin care industry and has many benefits provided you the right natural products chooses. But how do you recognize a natural product with good ingredients and how do you know which ingredients you do not want to put on your skin? It's still difficult to understand the long list of ingredients on the back of a product, so I'm going to help you a step in the right direction. If you are in the store, on a webshop or in a drugstore, you always first look at the country of origin and the certifications of a product. 

Then you can look at the ingredients, something that I still find difficult! There are so many ingredients and difficult names are often used. That's why my first tip is; look at the ingredients you would rather not have in your product:

PHMB
Polyaminopropyl biguanide or polyhexamethylene biguanide is an ingredient still found in many well-known products. PHMB is banned in Denmark and the EU, but is still allowed and used in many other countries. PHMB can therefore be found in all kinds of products, including skin care, make-up removers, cosmetics and so on. It is a harmful preservative and is classified as a category 2 carcinogen. PHMB is also harmful to the environment and can cause allergic reactions.

DRY ALCOHOL
There are 'good', moisturizing alcohols and 'less good', dry alcohols that can dry out the skin and make it sensitive. Cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are examples of these "good" alcohols and have an emollient effect. They are non-irritating and have a positive effect on dry skin. On the other hand, the 'less good' drying alcohols can affect the protective layer on the skin, reduce vital substances needed for healthy skin, make oily skin even more oily and cause skin aging. Still, some products require a drying alcohol to be functional. A good example of this is a hairspray or a dry shampoo. In this case, pay close attention to cofactors. What are these? You can read that in this article.

SILICONE
Silicone form a barrier on the skin and your hair and slow down the absorption of other ingredients, making it more difficult to achieve the desired results. If you switch to natural products without silicones, you will have to go through a 'detox period'. During this period you first wash the silicone off your hair or skin before the natural ingredients can do their job.

PARABENS
Parabens are preservatives that ensure that a product has a longer shelf life. The problem with parabens is that they have a hormone-disrupting effect. Do you want to read more about this? Then read this article (link article parabens).

CHEMICAL SUNBURN
Many chemical ingredients in sunscreens can cause sensitization, especially around the eyes, and can lead to breakouts. In addition, these substances end up in your bloodstream, which cannot be good for your brain and body. Therefore choose one sun protection which takes this into account and avoids the most chemical components.

DYES
Dyes are used to make products look beautiful. It is a marketing ingredient with no added value that takes up space in a product that could otherwise be used for ingredients that really benefit the skin.

SLS
Sodium lauryl sulfate is just too good at his job. The cleanser strips the skin and hair of too much, stripping the protective skin (scalp) barrier of the essential lipids (fats) that skin needs to function at its happiest and healthiest.

These are a few ingredients that you can avoid if you want to opt for natural and healthier products. Always pay attention to the country of origin and the certifications that a product has. For example, Denmark has stricter legislation on cosmetics and ingredients, which means that the products that come from here are generally better and healthier than products from other countries with different legislation.