Ingredients to Avoid or Limit In Your Beauty Products
Unfortunately, there are a lot of not-so-great ingredients in our beauty products. These ingredients can be irritating and detrimental to our health in large quantities, which is why it is important to be aware of them so that you can make better choices when shopping for beuaty and personal care products.
Chances are, the products you’re currently using probably contain one or more of these ingredients, they are certainly not uncommon in the beauty industry. My hope is to inform you of the possible dangers of these ingredients and to empower you to be better choices when you shop.
If you are new to clean beauty or need some extra help making the switch, below, I will be providing links to some AMAZING clean beauty brands that don’t use any of these ingredients and strive to only use the best quality ingredients at the end of this article.
I believe knowledge is power but I also believe it doesn’t do you good to obsess over ingredients. So keep a few of these ingredients in mind so you can become more aware of what’s in your beauty products and begin making the switch to cleaner, non-toxic beauty!
Now let’s talk about 9 ingredients that you may want to avoid or limit in your beauty products:
1. Parabens - isobutyl, methyl, butyl, propyl, isopropyl parabens
Parabens are preservatives that can be found in a vast amount of deodorants, makeup and skin care products.
Why should you limit the amount of parabens in your beauty products?
Parabens are found to cause hormone disruption and have even possible links to breast cancer.
2. Fragrance/Parfum and Phthalates- Dibutyl and butyl benzyl phthalates
Fragrance/parfum is an umbrella term that can mean hundreds of hidden chemicals much like the term “natural flavors”' on food labels. However, it’s important to pay attention to where fragrance is on the label. If it is farther down at the bottom, it is probably not something to be as worried about. A lot of products will claim they don’t have phthalates which are usually hidden in the fragrance term and are plasticizers. Phthalates are definitely something to avoid if you can. Fragrance and phthalates can be found in a variety of products like shampoo and conditioner, hairspray, nail polish, makeup, skincare and household products.
Why should you limit the amount of fragrance and phthalates in your beauty products?
Fragrance is tricky because the term hides what other chemicals are present. Some people find it to be an irritant and it can cause allergies for some. Phthalates, in particular, have been found to be hormone disruptors and have links to infertility and birth defects.
3. Aluminum
Aluminum was the very first ingredient that I stopped using when I started my nontoxic beauty and living journey. It is found in antiperspirant deodorants and works to block your sweat ducts to keep you from sweating. As you can imagine, it can cause build up in your body and doesn’t allow your body to properly detox. You’ll most likely find aluminum in antiperspirant deodorants which is why it’s good to switch to an all natural deodorant when you're ready. I say “ready” because making the switch is a process but once you get through the first few weeks, it’s smooth sailing.
Why should you limit/avoid aluminum in your deodorant?
Aluminum is believed to be a possible link to breast cancer and Alzheimer’s.
4. Talc
Talc is a mineral found in a variety of makeup products and you'll see it as the first ingredient a lot of the time.
Why should you limit talc in your beauty products?
Talc can be contaminated with asbestos, a carcinogen, and have been linked to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
5. Triclosan
Triclosan is a synthetic antimicrobial pesticide found in mouthwash, soap, deodorant, shaving cream, toothpaste, and mascara.
Why should you limit Triclosan in your beauty products?
Triclosan has been found to be a hormone and thyroid disruptor and is linked to cancer and causing inflammation in the gut.
6. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a preservative and can be found in keratin smoothing treatments, hair conditioners, eyelash and nail glue and nail polish. You also want to avoid Paraformaldehyde and Methylene glycol because they are types of formaldehydes and Quaternium 15 because it releases formaldehyde.
Why should you avoid Formaldehyde in your beauty products?
Formaldehyde is a carcinogen linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, development toxicity, and cancer.
7. PFA’s and PFC’s
PFA’s and PFC’s ( Poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances) are umbrella terms for thousands of hidden chemicals.
They can be found in sunscreen, hair products, shaving creams, waterproof mascara and eyeliner.
Why should you limit PFA’s and PFC’s in your beauty products?
PFA’s and PFC’s have been found to be harmful to the immune system and have links to cancer and thyroid disease.
8. Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is a sunscreen agent that can be found in chemical sunscreen, makeup with spf, cleanser, fragrance, and baby products.
Why should you avoid oxybenzone in your beauty products?
Oxybenzone has been found to be a hormone and thyroid disruptor and is linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
9. Toluene
Toluene is a solvent found in nail polish, hair dye, and nail treatment.
Why should you avoid toluene in your beauty products?
Toluene has been linked to brain toxicity, birth defects, immune toxicity and respiratory toxicity.
The bottom line is, there’s a lot of chemicals in our beauty products deemed harmful that are still on the market. It can get overwhelming checking the ingredients label on your products and seeing what’s really in them but it’s important not to go crazy and instead, to make small changes where you can.
Unless you have an allergy or irritation to a product or ingredient, there’s probably not a lot of harm in using small quantities of ingredients that are not the safest but if you can make the switch, you absolutely should. We live amongst thousands of chemicals and if you can limit your exposure to a few, you will be making huge changes for your health, the environment, and the economy by supporting cleaner brands and alternatives. Its a win, win, win in my book!
My Favorite Clean Beauty Brands that don’t contain these ingredients:
For more help on how to get started and for more clean beauty brand and product suggestions, check out my post on Clean Beauty for Beginners + the Best, Affordable Clean Beauty Brands!
Source: EWG.org