skin care products

photocred: Jeff Haugen

Common Skin Care Ingredients You Should Be Avoiding

June 6, 2021

Disclosure: Some of the links below contain affiliate links which means, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Everybody should have a morning and evening skin care routine because it makes you feel great. It also helps you maintain clean and healthy skin. Unfortunately, there are several popular ingredients that you shouldn’t put on your skin. In this list, I’m going to break down several common skin care ingredients you should be avoiding.

Before we get into some of these ingredients, let’s go over three reasons it’s so important that you read this post.

  1. Cosmetics do not require FDA approval before being sold. I wish I was joking.
  2. Your skin doesn’t need to absorb petroleum-based products.
  3. Unfortunately, some brands use ingredients that have significant health effects including known carcinogens.

There are dozens of ingredients to watch out for but here are the big ones.

1. Aluminum

Where this ingredient is often found: Most personal products ranging from antiperspirant deodorants, moisturizers, and eye creams.

Aluminum likely gets so much use because it’s cheap. Companies can buy a lot of it and sneak it into almost any product. You should do your best to avoid aluminum because it’s known to clog pores which can result in skin irritation, excess odor, and breakouts. Not to mention, it negatively affects your endocrine system.

2. Mineral Oil

Where this ingredient is often found: Cosmetic creams and lotions.

Mineral oil is similar to aluminum in the sense that it clogs pores and it will cause acne for most people. This alters or eliminates the body’s ability to get rid of toxins that are meant to leave our bodies.

3. Methyl, Butyl, Ethyl, Propyl—AKA Parabens

Where these ingredients are often found: Almost every skin care product.

Parabens are preservatives that many well-known brands use in their products. Parabens are troublesome for many reasons. First, they can play a part in hormone imbalance. There are also some studies that have shown a link to various types of cancers, especially in women.

4. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Butylene Glycol (BG)

Where these ingredients are often found: Lotions, shampoos, sunscreens.

These are almost always petroleum-based products and let’s be honest, if there’s a common skin care ingredient to avoid, don’t you think it should be something used to make petroleum? PEG and BG are generally used as thickeners because how else would you want to apply oil to your face?

You should avoid products with PEG or BG because it affects for obvious reasons but here’s one. PEG often contains something called ethylene oxide which is a known carcinogen. There have also been instances of PEG causing respiratory issues.

5. Phthalates

Where this ingredient is often found: Fragrances.

One of the few reasons phthalates are used is to keep the product’s bottle from breaking down. Remember how I mentioned the FDA doesn’t regulate cosmetics? Well, this ingredient is one of the many reasons they probably should.

Phthalates have been banned for use in cosmetics in the European Union and let’s be honest, we all know that Europeans have better skin than us. Perhaps this is one of the reasons?

Phthalates also disrupt our natural endocrine process. They may also have developmental and reproductive consequences, and like many other ingredients in this list, they may cause cancer.

So What’s the Solution?

Start reading the labels on skin care products and all cosmetic products for that matter. Unfortunately, there are numerous companies and brands that are more concerned about making a profit than protecting their consumers’ health and wellness.

Until there is more regulation in the cosmetic industry, it’s your responsibility to protect yourself (and your friends and family. Hence why I’m writing this) from these dangerous skin care ingredients.

Some of My Favorite Products

As featured in this blog’s image, I cannot say enough about Jack Black skin care products. Whether you’re developing your first skin care routine or you’ve tried numerous products, I strongly encourage you to try Jack Black products.

Some of my favorites are:

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