Eight Skincare Ingredients to Avoid  
Watch for these when you go shopping and see how many you can
eliminate from your home.

Parabens

Heavily used preservatives in the cosmetic industry; used in an estimated 13,200 cosmetic and skin care products.

  Studies implicate their connection with
  cancer because their hormone-disrupting
  qualities mimic estrogen and could
  disrupt your body’s endocrine system.

Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum

  These petroleum products coat the skin
  like plastic – clogging pores and creating
  a build-up of toxins. They can slow
  cellular development, creating earlier signs
  of aging. They’re implicated as a
  suspected cause of cancer. Plus, they can
  disrupt hormonal activity. When you think
  about black oil pumped from deep under-
  ground, ask yourself why you’d
  want to put that kind of stuff on your skin.

Sodium laurel
or lauryl sulfate (SLS), also known
as sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)

Found in over 90% of personal care products! They break down your skin’s moisture barrier, potentially leading to dry skin with pre- mature aging. And because they easily penetrate your skin, they can allow other chemicals easy access.

  SLS combined with other chemicals may
  become a "nitrosamine" – a potent
  carcinogen.

 

Acrylamide

Found in many facial creams.

  Linked to mammary tumors.

Propylene glycol

Common cosmetic moisturizer and carrier for fragrance oils.

  May cause dermatitis and skin irritation.
  May inhibit skin cell growth. Linked to
  kidney and liver problems.

Phenol carbolic acid

Found in many lotions and skin creams.

  Can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis,
  convulsions, coma, and even death
  from respiratory failure.

Dioxane

Hidden in ingredients such as PEG, polysorbates, laureth, ethoxylated alcohols. Very common in personal care products.

  These chemicals are often contaminated
  with high concentrations of highly volatile
  1,4-dioxane that’s easily absorbed
  through the skin. Its carcinogenicity was
  first reported in 1965, and later confirmed
  in studies including one from the National
  Cancer Institute in 1978. Nasal passages
  are considered extremely vulnerable,
  making it, in my opinion, a really bad idea
  to use these things on your face.

Toluene

May be very poisonous! Made from petroleum and coal tar - found in most synthetic fragrances.

  Chronic exposure linked to anemia,
  lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney
  damage…May affect a developing fetus.