Of course we prefer to use all natural skin care products, but a new customer recently reminded us of just how important it really is to avoid drug-store skin care products! Last week, an elderly woman visited our store for the first time. She was curious about our all natural skin care products.
She joking told us that if she brought home a bar of 100% organic olive oil soap, her husband would think she was coo-coo, but then she asked a very real question: “why are all natural skin care products better than the ones we’ve been using our whole lives?”
Of course this question got the conversation started and in talking with her for just a few minutes we uncovered that her skin itches every day! This could be caused by detergents, foods or environmental factors but her soap and lotion could also be the culprit! So, we asked what products she was using at home and she pulled out a bottle of drug-store lotion. We won’t disclose the brand but let’s just say it’s a very popular brand that promotes itself as being “dermatologist recommended.” We dug into the ingredients on the label to educate the customer on why drug-store lotions aren’t the best choice. What we found was several ingredients you definitely don’t want to put your skin.
6 ingredients commonly found in drugstore lotions you should avoid
Parabens
Like many other drugstore lotions, this brand contained parabens. Parabens are in so many skin care products; they preserve other ingredients and extend a product’s shelf life. There are many types of parabens: methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, etc. Research shows that parabens may:
Have hormone-disrupting effects.
Cause diminished muscle mass and extra fat storing.
Topical parabens have also been detected in human breast tumors. This is concerning because parabens have been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can encourage the growth of human breast tumors. While we cannot support any of these claims from personal knowledge or experience, the research we have seen supports it.
Dimethecone
Dimethicone is an artificial coating on your skin that could cause several issues:
It traps everything under it—including bacteria, sebum, and impurities—which could lead to increased breakouts and blackheads
The coating action actually prevents the skin from performing its normal activities—like sweating, temperature regulating, sloughing off dead skin cells, etc.
Prolonged exposure to dimethicone can actually increase skin irritation, due to the coating property and because dimethicone is listed as a possible skin and eye irritant
Those with sensitive or reactive skin are at risk of an allergic reaction to dimethicone
On top of all this, dimethicone is a non-biodegradable chemical— so it is bad for the environment
The information we found on this ingredient also suggested that using these types of ingredients on your skin can actually exacerbate skin aging! To learn more click here and read the article we referenced for this post.
PEG-40
The Cosmetics Database which can be found on the Environmental Group’s (EWG) website listed PEG 40 Stearate to be a moderate to high hazard ingredient depending on how it is used. The EWG issues warnings regarding: cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, contamination concerns, irritation, and organ system toxicity. We don’t need to say anymore…
Cyclohexasiloxane and Cyclopentasiloxane
While there’s no evidence suggesting these ingredients can harm humans at this point, research has shown low concentrations of these could harm aquatic life. Canada has actually restricted the use of this ingredient in cosmetic products and silicone breast implants, and includes it on its list of Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET). If we’ve determined it’s not safe for animals why chance finding out it’s not good for humans either?
Ureas
Formerly known as Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl, DMDM hydantoin, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, these chemicals are hard to pronounce and have several concerns associated with them. Research shows that ureas can release formaldehyde, cause joint pain, heart irregularities, weaken your immune system and may be the primary cause of contact dermatitis.
Considering all of these ingredients and the harm they could cause, we recommend switching to all natural skin care products! Many all natural skin care products (like ours!) contain organic ingredients found in nature, not manufactured in a lab. Keep your skin and your family safe by making the switch!