subject: Avoiding Harmful Ingredients In Natural Skin Creams [print this page] There's no denying it, we're all headed to a life with more wrinkles and less mobility, that's right, old age. However, this doesn't mean that we should have to live a life that is less vital or feel less attractive in the process, that's why skin care companies now cater to an older generation of skin care needs.
When you are looking for skin care creams for aging skin, make sure that they are gentle. A good option is the use of natural skin care products, however, it may a little difficult to choose the right, natural skin cream because not all products contain ingredients that can be considered gentle enough or soothing enough for sensitive skin.
For instance, the skin care industry believes that petroleum based ingredients are natural substances. This may or may not be true, but who is really willing to treat their delicate aging skin with petroleum? Let's take a look at other ingredients that you should avoid, especially when looking for face creams.
One of the ingredients you should try to avoid is alcohol in all of its forms except cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Alcohol is known to dehydrate your skin and cause irritation so if you do purchase a product that contains this ingredient, make sure that it does not appear among the first 5 ingredients.
Parabens are another ingredient that should be banned from natural skin creams. Even though they serve an important purpose by suppressing microbial formation in creams, parabens have been linked to irritation. They have also been linked to more severe problems such as cancer.
Other carcinogenic products that you will want to avoid are acryl amide (linked to breast tumors), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and dioxine (a synthetic derivative of coconut). Synthetic colors and fragrances are more problematic still. Besides being considered carcinogenic, they can also alter hormone levels.
Phenol carbolic acid is a very common ingredient in skin care products. It is an antiseptic and disinfectant, however, if you are continually exposed to this type of ingredient you may experience irritation or dermatitis.
An ingredient known as stearalkonium chloride is used in creams for its conditioning properties. This ingredient may cause skin and eye irritation so if a product you have purchased contains this ingredient you should avoid using it for prolonged periods of time.
Vital Ingredients for Face Creams
There are also some ingredients that you should look for in your skin care products. Not all products contain them, but try to use those that do, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Rose hip seed oil is not only one of the best natural moisturizers around, but it has a long history of helping to treat dry skin, eczema, scar tissue, and even stretch marks.
Licorice root extract is a very soothing natural ingredient that, oftentimes, appears listed as glycyrrhizin on the product labels. If you are concerned about irritation or allergic reactions, make sure that you do a patch test before trying it on your face.
