Skin Care Ingredients 101
by Debra Myers
The quest for truly natural and beneficial bath and body products can be daunting. Don’t despair. There are a few simple steps to find what is truly natural and good for your skin.
In today’s environment, the word “natural” is used on everything from baby wipes to shampoos. But what does it mean? The FDA does not regulate natural bath products nor do they give guidelines on what ingredients may or may not be used to produce such products.
There is actually a small list of key ingredients to avoid that are money-savers with no true benefit to your skin. Companies often cut expensive ingredients like essential oils with cheaper alternatives like fragrance oil to keep the overall ingredient cost down. Some manufacturers will place a natural claim on their label when, in fact, the formula may contain less than 1 percent of the natural ingredient.
In general, if you want to buy natural products, avoid the following ingredients:
- Methylparaben, propylparaben or ethylparaben – Parabens are the most commonly used preservatives in body care products. The Environmental Working Group (www.safecosmetics.org) states scientific studies show parabens to cause skin, eye and lung irritation.
- Propylene Glycol (PG) – This is used as a surfactant to help reduce surface tension and allow liquid to spread easily across your skin. Also used in anti-freeze and brake fluid, PG helps protect products from extreme heat or cold so they don’t melt or freeze. There are natural surfactants such as Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate (made from sugar) or Decyl polyglucose (made from corn, coconut and palm oil extracts) that won’t strip the skin of moisture, are non-irritating and most important, non toxic.
- Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) – This is a chemical cleansing agent, humectant and emulsifier also found in industrial cleaners. Natural alternatives are vegetable glycerin or cetyl alcohol (derived from palm oil). Both are excellent moisturizers and humectants.
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) – This is a chemical detergent found in most laundry soaps as well as bath products. This chemical surfactant strips the skin of vital moisture. Pay particular attention to this ingredient if you have small children.
- Synthetic Fragrance (eau de parfum, parfum, fragrance) – These fragrances are irritating to the skin, eyes and nose and often are the culprit for urinary tract and yeast infections in women. As we sit in our bubble bath soaking away the world’s stresses, we allow a perfect opportunity for those chemical compounds to work their way into places they don’t belong. Be careful of statements like “natural fragrance.” This is basically a synthetic copy of the natural flower or essential oil. If a manufacturer is using an essential oil to fragrance, it will be on their label.
Use your knowledge to find what is natural. If you go to the store and see a natural baby wash product, turn the bottle over and see if it has any of the harsh ingredients mentioned in this article. Good brands are proud of their ingredients and will disclose all of them.