Shop Smart, Shop Healthy: 8 Beauty Product Ingredients to Avoid

We’ve been warned to stay away from formaldehyde in nail polish and sodium hydroxide (lye) in hair relaxers and face treatments. But did you know that many of the ingredients—especially the unpronounceable ones–in our bath, beauty, and hair care products are unsafe? Research is finding that more and more beauty product substances cause cancer, breathing problems, allergic reactions, and even damage to the very hair, skin, and nails they claim to enhance—yet, somehow, the word is not getting out the way it should.

So here is a rundown of the top eight culprits to watch out for, the next time you go shopping. Be safe! Try to find products that don’t contain them, or that at least contain them in relatively small amounts.

1.)   Alcohols: Stearyl, cetyl, and cetearyl, and benzyl alcohol are all very common in beauty products, and all extremely drying. Alcohols suck moisture from your body—just think of rubbing alcohol, better known as isopropyl, which is also found in many beauty products—and actually create more of a need for the very lotions, soaps, conditioners, and shampoos that claim to “moisturize� you. They can also irritate sensitive skin.

2.) Mineral oil, petrolatum, and other petroleum-based ingredients: On the surface, these glossy, slick oil by-products seem to smooth hair and give skin with a healthy sheen. But beware. Petroleum-based ingredients tend to keep more moisture out than they actually keep in. Think of covering your hair or skin with plastic wrap, or a thick coating of crude oil, much like the animals on the Gulf coast—your pores can’t breathe, resulting in acne and other skin problems, and fragile, suffocated locks. And, even worse, many petroleum by-products contain cancer-causing contaminants, from the refineries that process them.

3.)    Propylene glycol: This substance can be found in almost all bath, beauty, and “health� products, from shampoos and conditioners to baby wipes and mascara—and also in paint, wallpaper stripper, and tire sealants. Virtually harmless when added to food, propylene glycol is a strong irritant when applied to the skin. PG, as it’s often called, has been linked to liver problems, kidney abnormalities, certain cancers, neurological damage, and reproductive problems, and is a “penetration enhancer�—meaning that it breaks down skin and hair’s natural barriers to toxic elements, allowing even more harmful ingredients (say, from the rest of this list) to enter the body and bloodstream. Probably the most dangerous beauty product ingredient on this list.

4.) Silicone products and waxes: Much like petrolatum and mineral oil, these heavy substances tend to create short-term gloss and smoothness, but actually block natural oils, moisture, and air. These are especially common in anti-aging creams and African-American, curly, or anti-frizz hair care products. The most common ingredients are carnauba wax, beeswax, and dimethicone, but look out for any ingredients ending in “-one� or “-cone� (like methylchloroisothiazolinone…sounds menacing, right?).

5.) Sulfates: Usually come in one of four varieties: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), ammonium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate. Commonly used in foaming bath, beauty, and health cleansers like soaps and shampoos, sulfates are known to cause severe skin, eye, and mouth irritation, hand and finger swelling, and, if swallowed, diarrhea. SLS is the strongest, so be especially careful of it.

6.) Urea and Parabens: Diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben are all common preservatives that help beauty products “keep� on the shelf, but can cause allergic reactions and are even linked to cancer and reproductive issues. While research is still examining the role of parabens in developing breast cancer and reducing male testosterone levels, it may be best to play it safe and avoid these.

7.) DMDM Hydantoin: A major component of anti-freeze–yes, the same kind you put in your car—as well as foundation, lotion, eyeshadow, and conditioner. This preservative keeps germs at bay by releasing formaldehyde—yes, the same formaldehyde used to preserve dead bodies—into the product. DMDM hydantoin has been shown to cause eye, skin, and lung irritation, and is banned in aerosol-spray products. It is also a sensitizer; it triggers strong allergic reactions, and is even banned in Japan for causing stomach ulcers in rat tests, as well as hives, itching, and scaling.

8.) Synthetic colors: Those marked “FD&C� or “D&C� often come from coal tars, and are highly allergenic and carcinogenic, or allergy- and cancer-causing. Most products use them in very small amounts, but still…do you really want to spread coal tar on your face?

Fortunately, the news is not all doom and gloom. While these and several other bath, beauty, and hair care products can be dangerous or unhealthy, there are plenty of natural, organic, and safe alternatives out there. Just read labels closely to see how much of each ingredient is being used. The higher up on the ingredient list a substance is, the more of it is being used, and vice versa, so try to make sure that any ingredients from this list are near the bottom, if there at all. You can also try any of the all-natural beauty remedies discussed earlier this week, look out for future articles on Beauty Product Ingredients You’ll Love, or check the web for more information on beauty product ingredients and their effects.

Take care of yourselves,

Perfect Locks