Most people want to have beautiful, clear skin that glows with health. However, sometimes it seems like no matter what you do, your skin won’t cooperate. The truth is that many of the ingredients in popular beauty products are bad for your skin. They can cause irritation, dryness, and even long-term damage. This article will discuss some of the most harmful ingredients in skin care products and why you should avoid them.
Parabens
Parabens are a preservative that often appears in many beauty products, including lotion, shampoo, shaving cream, soap, and face wash. Parabens mimic estrogen and cause hormonal changes that lead to early puberty and other unpleasant symptoms. Other studies have linked parabens to infertility, neurological damage, and cancer. Parabens are known for causing allergic reactions by irritating the skin or mucous membranes. It can cause redness, swelling, itching, pain, soreness, burning sensation, and blisters.
Phthalates
Phthalates are often in beauty products such as shampoo, lotion, and body wash. They do not occur in nature and instead come from man-made chemicals that affect the smell or consistency. Phthalates can cause reproductive and developmental problems when they seep into the skin through cosmetics and personal care products. Long-term exposure can cause male infertility, low sperm count, and congenital disabilities. Phthalates may even lead to the development of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, also known as Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), is an inexpensive and common ingredient that helps produce a bubbling foam in many beauty products such as shampoo. It causes skin irritation by removing the protective acid mantle of your skin and disrupting your skin’s bacterial balance. Long-term use of products containing SLS can cause eye damage, skin irritation, rashes, hair loss, scalp flaking, and baldness. Some studies have linked SLS to low sperm count and testicular cancer in men.
Petrolatum
PEG (POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL)
Phenoxyethanol
Phenoxyethanol is an alcohol-based preservative found in many skincare products. It can cause irritation, sensitization, rashes, and even damage the nervous system when applied to the skin in large amounts. Phenoxyethanol may also lead to reproductive toxicity in women due to its ability to mimic estrogen. Studies have shown that the chemical quickly penetrates and absorbs through the skin and into vital organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and even brain. It may cause damage to these organs if used in large amounts.
Triclosan
Triclosan is a synthetic antibacterial agent used in many beauty products and other products such as soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. Studies have shown that an endocrine disruptor can interfere with a person’s reproductive development and hormones. It may also cause immune system problems by reducing the activity of white blood cells. Triclosan has been linked to cancer because it can penetrate the skin and accumulate in breast cancer tissue.
Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is a chemical sunscreen found in many beauty products. It can cause cancer due to its ability to cause hormonal disruption by mimicking estrogen. Oxybenzone can lead to low birth weight babies if absorbed through the skin during pregnancy. It also penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream, where it accumulates in your blood, liver, heart, brain, and even your newborn baby. It can cause health problems such as endometriosis, infertility, allergies, asthma, and low sperm count.
Retinol
Ethanolamines
Ethanolamines are ingredients used in many beauty products to absorb moisture and enhance texture. These chemicals can cause allergic reactions if you apply them to the skin. They alter cellular activity by blocking enzymes needed for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Ethanolamines can cause cancer due to their ability to penetrate the skin and accumulate in vital organs such as the brain, liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart. They can also impact the endocrine system by mimicking estrogen and disrupting hormones.
Conclusion
Many ingredients in our beauty products can be very harmful when applied to the skin. Many of them contain toxins that cause cancer and other medical conditions. In comparison, others cause irritation, sensitization, rashes, and even permanent damage to your skin. Before you buy any beauty products, it is best to read the ingredients list and avoid any ingredients on this list!
