Ingredients we avoid...

There are lots of 'natural' and 'organic' skincare products around these days. When I buy a product that says it is natural or organic, I am expecting that it will contain no chemicals or anything that is potentially harmful to me. Unfortunatley, however, due to lack of industry standards in this country it seems that a product can claim to be natural/organic when actually it is not.

I think it is so important to know what ingredients are going into the products that you purchase so that we, the consumer, can make educated choices.

As a basic guideline, here is a simple summary of some of the ingredients we DON'T use and why:


Phenoxyethanol
A preservative and stabiliser which may have damaging effects on the brain and nervous system. reported to have chromosomal changing effects and genetic mutation effects. Phenoxyethanol is a restricted ingredient in some countries.

Parabens
Commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics, parabens can act similarly to estrogen. Research has indicated links with breast cancer and recent studieshave shown that parabens do penetrate the skin and can reach the deeper skin tissue.

Mineral oil and petrochemicals
Also known as paraffin and petrolatum - minerals oils are petroleum derived and are comedogenic (aggravate acne or block pores).

Sodium lauryl sulphate
Foaming agents or surfactants known to cause skin sensitivity and irritation to the skin. Can also be listed as ammoniums laureth sulphate sles, ales & b sodium lauryl sulphate/ammonium lauryl sulphate sls and als.

Genetically modified ingredients
Crop plants that have been modified in the laboratory. Genetic engineering is the process of artificially modifying genes by cutting and splicing dna (deoxyribonucleic acid).

Artificial colours or fragrances
Can cause skin irritation and sensitivity.

Propylene glycol
A moisturiser or humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture), propylene glycol is a known skin sensitiser and can cause skin irritation. often found in preservatives like germall plus.

PEGs
An abbreviation for polyethylene glycol compounds, often listed as PEG. PEGs have a penetrating effect on the skin which enables undesirable ingredients to penetrate into the skin. PEGs alter the surface tension of the skin and may alter the skin’s natural moisture balance. PEGs are not always pure, but often come contaminated with impurities.

EDTA
Chelating or binding agent in cosmetic formulations. exposure to edta in most cosmetic formulations may cause reproductive or developmental toxicity and have the potential to increase the penetration of other chemicals into the skin.

Diethanolamine (DEA)
A solvent and ph adjuster. studies indicate an association between carcinogenic tumours in the application of diethanolamine and certain dea-related ingredients (e.g. oleamide dea, lauramide dea, cocamide dea).

Triethanolamine
Used in cosmetics as a ph balancer. like all amines, it has the potential for creating nitrosamines and is reported to be carcinogenic.

Alcohol
Also known as ethanol, denatured alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and sd alcohol can be extremely drying, irritating to the skin and can generate free-radical damage.

Formaldehyde
Used as a preservative, the reported carcinogenic formalin releasing agents are often found in other ingredients, eg. diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, dmdm hydantoin.

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This was a really easy starting point for me when I started to become more and more aware of what I was putting on my skin. After (semi) memorising these 'Ingredients to avoid' I feel a lot more educated when it comes to purchasing products. The more you know the more you realise how many chemicals go in to everyday products!!!