Dirty Ingredients to Avoid In Skincare

A lot of people don’t realize that our skin will actually absorb about 60% of what we put on it. And that can definitely be seen as a negative and a positive, but know that a lot of the ingredients that can be harmful are definitely in our face washes, lotions, sunscreen, and a lot of them will produce allergies such as eczema, you could also promote cancer cells, hormone disruption, and reproductive problems. So really understand the ingredients that are going into the products you use.

I’m going to go over a lot of the ingredients that are dirty ingredients to avoid in your skincare. My suggestion is, that you should go through all of your products, look at what’s in there, and look at the ingredients. It’s just like what you would do when you go grocery shopping, a lot of us look at ingredients now to see what’s in there.  We look at how much sugar, or how much carbs, or what we are actually putting into our bodies. So, I’m going to do the same with skincare ingredients and what we put into our skin, which gets absorbed into our bodies.

Now, if you thought that the FDA does a superb job at regulating what goes into our food and supply, you’ll be equally appalled to know that they do not regulate shit in our cosmetics, personal care and hair care products in general. The same way you look at food labels, you should also be doing the same for your beauty products. There are thousands of chemicals in your products, many of which are being absorbed. These companies have a lot of ways to get ingredients in there without government review or approval. The industry is highly unregulated, and there is no period of product approval before products hit the market and they enter your home.

Let’s run down my list of bad ingredients. The first one I’m going to talk about is going to be aluminum, this product actually has a lot of estrogenic-like effects in our system. It is a toxic metal, and it will disrupt the healthy function of our endocrine system. It’s usually found in a lot of personal care products, especially antiperspirants and deodorants. The second one that is on my list is DEA, MEA, and TEA. Don’t ask me to spell them, because I have no freaking clue how to pronounce them. Anyway, just know that they are usually found in a lot of our makeup, eye makeup, fragrances, hair products, and sunscreens. These products are clear, colorless, and with an ammonia-like odor.

The next one is going to be mineral oil. A lot of people say that oil is really good for your skin, it breaks down oil, but you need to know that mineral oil is completely different. It is a petroleum-like byproduct. So what it’s going to do is actually coat the skin, almost like plastic, clogging your pores. This is incredibly harmful, and the reason why is because it interferes with the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins.

Your skin’s reasoning for having cells and oil and all of that is to eliminate toxins in your body. So of course we discrete them in the bathroom, but a lot of times when you’re having problems, you definitely swell up, your tissues swell up. You notice if you get sick, you tend to have hot flashes or heat. It’s the way that your body eliminates toxins. It also increases the likelihood of acne and other skin disorders. Mineral oil can be found in a lot of creams, lotions, ointments, and in in cosmetics.

Let’s go over parabens. I want to say that a lot of people out there say, “Oh, it’s okay to use parabens. Parabens are okay. They have a bad name.” Well, guess what people? Parabens are not good. Methyl, butyl, ethyl, propyl, they’re not good for your skin, a lot of the time it will contribute to a hormone imbalance. Having a hormone imbalance in your skin will produce acne and produce hyperpigmentation. You can have a lot of issues with hormone balance. Parabens are used as a preservative for products. So my recommendation would be to definitely look at other companies that do not use them. I personally stay away from them.

Propylene glycol and butylene glycol. These are actually hydrocarbons, and what they do is act as a surfactant. They penetrate the skin so quickly that it can actually weaken the protein and cellular structure of your tissues or your cells. When you weaken the protein and the cellular structure, you’re actually causing more damage and you’re causing your skin to actually age faster. Also read our Blog on Collagen Supplements. You’re going to get this great skincare, but it’s going to have propylene glycol. It says anti-aging, but the matter of fact is, it’s fucking aging you.  What you put on your skin, what you put in your body, makes a difference. A huge difference.

Anti-aging ingredients, vitamin C and vitamin A, but different forms of vitamin A are good for your skin. I only really use three ingredients in the morning and three ingredients at night. You do not need a lot. You just need products that work and that don’t have shit in them. That’s pretty much what it boils down.

Synthetic fragrances are a huge red flag. A lot of the companies put this in their ingredients and it’s pretty much an artificial ingredient. You will find synthetic fragrances in thousands of products, most commonly household products, candles, and air fresheners, it’s even in your scented trash bags. So, I'd say definitely pay attention to that.

Sodium lauryl sulfate, also known as SLES and SLS. This is in 90% of our skincare products that foam, lather, and bubble. The reason why I think this one is so, so harmful for you is that it will actually dehydrate the tissues of your skin. It’s in a lot of shampoos, but the good news is that there are a lot of shampoos out there that are more natural and don’t have SLES or SLS.

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a foaming agent, and with a foaming agent, in our brains, we think, “Okay, if we’re foaming, we’re getting clean, we’re getting squeaky clean.” That’s what we’ve been taught, but it’s not the case with our skin. It’s a concern because SLS can irritate skin and eyes. When you’re working it into the tissue of the skin, it will dehydrate the tissue of the skin.

The reason why I’m so passionate about this one ingredient is that I see it all the time with my clients. They’ll come in and say, “I don’t understand. I’m using a great cleanser. I cleanse my skin morning and night. " And I say, “Bring in your products and let me have a look at your ingredients.” Taking a look at the products I find that SLS is the number one ingredient in the majority of the products they use.  It dehydrates the tissue of the skin, and dehydrating the tissue of the skin makes you feel like you need moisture. It’s a catch-22. The industry is dehydrating the tissues of your skin to make you feel like you need to go and buy their moisturizer that goes into the skin, but honestly, nobody really needs a moisturizer, but that is a topic for another day. My recommendation would be, when looking for a cleanser, make sure that it does not have sodium lauryl sulfate in it at all. 

Phthalate is a chemical that is used in products to increase the flexibility and softness of, guess what? Plastics. Phthalate is in cosmetic personal care products like nail polish, it is in perfumes, lotions, and hairspray. Phthalate belongs to the group of endocrine disruptors (EDs), which have the potential to interfere with the normal functioning of your hormones.

Triclosan has antibacterial qualities and is used in some personal care products like hand soap, body wash, toothpaste. There is a lot of controversy around the use of Triclosan, people use it to disinfect their hands, body, but you’re killing the majority of the bacteria both bad and good bacteria, making your skin more susceptible to bacteria because you’re killing bacteria that helps your immune system. Crazy right?  Another thing to take note of, Triclosan actually accumulates in the body over time and there is concern that prolonged exposure to the chemical can cause health complications.  The good news though is that Triclosan was banned in consumer products by the USA's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2016 but it is still used in hospitals and medical facilities.  

Let's talk a bit about Formaldehyde, which of course, you really don’t want to put this on your skin, however, it is definitely in a lot of skincare products. Formaldehyde is used as a preservative to extend product shelf life, so in the case of skincare, Formaldehyde and chemicals that release formaldehyde are sometimes used in in cosmetics and other personal care products like lotions, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and some fingernail polishes.  Research has shown exposure to formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory test animals, but the effect of exposure to small amounts is even less clear. It has been linked to a lot of related cancers and nasal cancer, it is also known to impact your immune system. Formaldehyde in consumer products such as cosmetics and lotions can cause an allergic reaction in the skin (allergic contact dermatitis), which can lead to an itchy, red rash that may become raised or develop blisters.

Propylene glycol, I see this in a lot of products So it’s a small organic alcohol, and it’s commonly used for skin conditioning agents. So I want you to go and look at your moisturizers, because I have to tell you that every single product that I’ve looked at in bringing in to my facility, they have all had a propylene glycol. So it is a huge skin irritant, and penetrator, it’s associated a lot with causing dermatitis and hives with humans. So just know it’s called propylene glycol, I bet you anything you’re going to find it in a lot of your stuff, especially moisturizers, sunscreens, and a lot of conditioners and shampoos, and even some hairsprays.

Sunscreens. This is definitely a controversial, because we definitely need to a some sunscreen, we definitely want something to absorb all the ultraviolet lights, as well as the sun outside. So the chemicals in sunscreens, they definitely will mess up, which would be our endocrine disruptors, and easily disorbed into the body, they also cause cellular damage and cancer in the body. So common names are benzophenone, PABA, don’t judge me with my pronunciations, avobenzone, anyway, I’ll write them down on my YouTube channel for you guys, I cannot pronounce them. They can be found in a lot of the sunscreens, so you definitely need to make sure the chemicals in the sunscreens. I make sure that my sunscreens really only have a base of a couple of products that are more natural, which would be your zinc, things like that that you need to look for.

There’s a lot of products, you definitely can’t avoid every single synthetic chemical that you come in contact with, but just limit it. Be your advocate, and know exactly how many toxins you are getting exposed to. Make sure that you’re eating clean food, that you’re avoiding chemical foods, you’re drinking filtered water. Look for products, they will say certified organic, but make sure that these products, they don’t have chemicals in them and toxic chemicals. Make sure that your esthetician knows a lot about her ingredients or what you’re getting.

I am passionate about not just skincare, but I’m also passionate about food, what you’re putting in your body, what you’re doing. What you do inside your body and outside of your body is going to make a difference with whom you are. And it’s even going to make a difference with your mindset. I really, truly feel that a lot of it makes a difference with you being negative or positive in life. And we need to be healthy, we want to live as long as we can, and that’s why we do everything we do, and that’s why we eat healthy, that’s why we work out. We do all these things to be better people. And I’m here because I want to educate you, and I want you to be a better you and a better individual, and that’s why I’m put on earth. I’m put on earth to help others and to educate others. So if you guys ever need anything, please follow me on Instagram, DM me, ask me questions, shoot me some emails.