Considering that these products are meant to protect our skin, it’s somewhat ironic that skincare products contain a long list of ingredients that, over time, do a lot more harm than good.
Ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate, BHA, triclosan and triclocarban, Polyethylene, retinol, fragrances and most of all, parabens are quite common in a range of products, from your basic moisturizers to shampoos and conditioners. And despite there being evidence of their long-term effects on our health, we’re still a long way from completely purging them from our basic skin and hair care products.
So for now, the best thing to do is to educate ourselves on the effects of these ingredients, what exactly it is that makes them detrimental for our skin and what can we do to avoid them? That’s our main goal for this blog!
Learning about Skincare Products
While companies have done their duty in eliminating lead from skincare products, it seems that they’ve given us a number of other problems to worry about with the use of these harmful ingredients.
Chalk it up to shoddy research or lack of resources, but it’s only in the past decade or so that companies and the masses are realizing how bad these ingredients really are.
Let’s take parabens as an example. Perhaps one of the most commonly used ingredients, parabens are a class of preservatives that are used in shaving gels, shampoos, makeup, moisturizers, spray tan products and personal lubricants. According to a study, parabens have been linked to various health issues such as a decreased sperm count, skin cancer and breast cancer.
Additionally, according to the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, it was found that longer chain parabens had an effect on the human endocrine system, and caused developmental and reproductive disorders.
Clearly, parabens are not great for our health. Hence, there’s ample room in the skincare industry to introduce safer alternatives.
What Should Be Done?
While there are many companies that are taking steps to replace such harmful ingredients with safer counterparts, it will still take time before the rest of the beauty and skincare industry follows suit.
In the meantime, here’s what you can do. Firstly, if you believe that a certain product might be causing an adverse reaction, get an allergy test done straightaway. Secondly, replace your products.
When searching, always look for products that clearly state that they are paraben-free. A good example is the product range offered by Lovery.
Along with being a cruelty-free brand, Lovery goes one step ahead with its product development and ensures that their spa gift sets are paraben-free. These are the type of companies you need to go for.
Follow these steps and try your best to search for better, natural products that are gentle on your skin. That’s the only way to ensure that your skin gets the nourishment it needs and deserves!
