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You may have seen my previous article about cosmetic ingredient listing. This is a continuation as promised going into more detail about ingredients you should avoid appearing on the back of your makeup or skincare container.

There are many posts on the internet about some of these ingredients being toxic. This largely depends on the quantities in the product. All cosmetic products have to pass testing before they are released. It may be the case that these ingredients can cause sensitivity and harmful symptoms to some people but you do not necessarily need to panic.

My focus with this is that natural ingredients generally ‘work’ better and the synthetic ones generally don’t! It follows that many cheaper products available in our high street contain the same ‘cheap’ synthetic ingredients in large quantities and they don’t really do a good job. Whereas if you pay a little bit more and pay more attention to what you are putting on your skin you are much more likely to get a better result.

Don’t be put off by the fact that it may cost more. Those cheaper products are a false economy. You need to use more to get any kind of result and are they really worth anything if they are not working? More costly products may mean you have to pay more to start with but you are actually getting value for money and they generally tend to last much much longer.

So, we’re back to looking at the ingredient list, its not all about the price tag.
The following are ingredients that may mean the product has been ‘bulked up’ with cheap synthetic ingredients or that you may experience some irritation.

Parabens
This is most widely used preservative in the cosmetics industry and can appear in different forms; ethyl, methyl, propyl, butyl, isobutyl. These are just the same family of molecule with a different length of carbon chain, they have similar effects.

There are some great products that still use parabens as their preservative, basically because they are good formulas, it is very effective, and the choice available for natural preservatives are limited. It would be difficult to avoid parabens products completely and you may be missing out on some good products if you did, but some brands focus on formulating all their products completely parabens free.

Parabens has been known to cause skin rashes and allergic reactions so be aware of it if you experience something similar.

Mineral Oil
This is again very wildly used in its various forms. You will sometimes see it as petrolatum.(this is the solid form) Basically it is used as an emollient – this means it will reduce water evaporation from the skin and therefore have a moisturizing effect. The problem with this is it can have the opposite effect and lead to dryness and chapping. There are also some suspicions surrounding its source and the safeness of it. It is a by-product of the fuel industry and is created during the process of turning crude oil into petroleum. Cosmetic grade mineral oil is highly refined and is unlikely to contain a harmful amount of chemicals you might expect to find in oil.

Its function in a cosmetic product is normally as a moisturizing agent to form a layer on the skin that traps in the moisture. The best time to apply an emollient based product is after a bath or shower when your skin is naturally hydrolyzed.

The ingredient itself is incredibly cheap and that is why it is so widely used. There are many other plant derived alternatives that deliver a better result.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
This too is a very widely used ingredient, its main functions are as a foaming agent and detergent and it is used in shampoos, toothpaste and cleansers. It is pretty harsh and strips a lot of the natural oils from your skin or hair. It can cause allergic reactions such as eye irritation, dry scalp and skin rashes, but to the majority of users it has no detrimental health effect. It simply is not the best ingredient to use to give the best results and the main reason it is used again, is because it is cheap. For a relatively small amount of the ingredient it produces a large amount of foam giving the consumer the impression that the product is doing a good job. A more effective product will use a natural detergent, the foaming properties may not be so huge but you will need less, it won’t strip the natural oils away and the end result will be improved.

Synthetic Colours and Fragrances
The colours and fragrances will often appear at the end of the ingredient list. Synthetic colours are normally listed as FD&C or D&C followed by a number. If a synthetic colour has been added it is just to make the product look prettier and has no impact on the effectiveness. It is part of the ’show’ to make you think a product may be better than it is. Synthetic colours have been linked to having carcinogenic effects although this has not been proven. Best to avoid them if you can.

Synthetic fragrances much like the colours are there to make the product more appealing to the consumer. They may mask an unpleasant fragrance or simply enhance the fragrance making you think it is more natural than it is. For example if a product contains a small amount of coconut milk, then a synthetic coconut fragrance may be added to give the impression there is more.

Synthetic fragrances are probably the thing that most people show some sensitivity too. They can cause headaches, rashes and dizziness. They have no impact on the effectiveness of the product so again, best to avoid them.

These are just a few of the very widely used products in the cosmetics and skincare industries that can cause adverse reactions and don’t give great results. They are easy to spot if you look in your bathroom cabinet. Being more aware of the ingredients in the products you use will help you to make a more informed choice and get better results.