Formulated With: The Dangerous Chemicals in Your Skin Care Products

Many of the creams and lotions that people apply everyday are loaded with toxic chemicals and they don’t even know it. This, in part, is why we are such fans of clean oils. We take the stance of, “if we wouldn’t eat it, then we wouldn’t put it on our largest organ, our skin.” That said, we don’t recommend eating any beauty products, even the ones without the toxins.

We rounded up some of the most common chemicals that should be avoided, but there are many, many more.

Propylene Glycol:  It’s a by-product of petroleum that is also used as anti-freeze that may cause allergic reactions and possibly liver and kidney damage if it gets into the bloodstream.

Parabens:  These are most commonly used as preservatives in beauty products that inhibit bacteria growth. However, there is concern surrounding parabens and breast cancer as parabens have estrogen-mimicking properties.

Fragrance:  While this term was created to protect a company’s “secret formula” it is usually some combination of the 200 cheapest synthetic scents that can cause headaches, dizziness, rashes and general skin irritation.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) / Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): These are foaming products that can, when combined with other chemicals, create carcinogens such as nitrosamines. They are also thought to irritate the skin.

Formaldehyde / Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives (FRP’s):  Use to inihibit bacteria growth in beauty products, it is a known human carcinogen by The International Agency for Research on Carcinogens (IARC) and can also cause allergic skin reactions.

Synthetic Colors: Lookout for FD&C or D&C as they signify artificial colors. They precede colors and numbers, e.g. FD&C Red 6. They are toxic substances are made from coal ta, are suspected of being a human carcinogen and many are banned in the European Union.

Ditch the chemicals and look for natural or organic brands that stick quality ingredients that are safe!