There’s an ugly truth to skincare, beauty products, and non-organic makeup brands.

So many ingredients that are ubiquitous in skincare products are actually terrible for your health and the beauty of your skin. Instead of making your skin look radiant and healthy (beyond the short-term) these products work against your natural beauty over time. They accelerate the aging process, in looks, and in health.

Who is looking out for us? Certainly not the manufacturing companies, who may say such ingredients are “safe”. But the reality is that testing on the long-term and combined effect of many of these chemicals is unknown. We have to educate and protect ourselves!

Fragrance

There is fragrance in so many skincare and beauty products! You don’t always know what you’re getting with them because manufacturers aren’t required to list the individual ingredients that make up a fragrance on the label. That’s because they’d be giving away all their secrets or proprietary information. You can bet though it’s likely a concoction of chemicals you don’t want on your skin or in your lungs. There are thousands of chemicals that could be combined to make fragrances.  When you don’t know what’s in a product, there’s also a possibility that you’ll unknowingly put something on your skin that will cause inflammation. Inflammation leads to premature aging.

If you want something that smells nice, look for natural skincare ingredients, like the ingredients in our Feel Good Skincare collection, scented with essential oils instead of that catch-all, mystery ingredient, “fragrance.” If you don’t know what something is, would you eat it? The same goes for skincare, makeup and fragrance. If you don’t know what’s in “fragrance” on your ingredients list, it’s best to avoid putting it on your skin or into the air you breathe.

This was rough for me because I used to love perfumes. But now I only wear them now on very rare, special occasions versus a daily spritz. There are essential oils that come in solid packages that I keep around though. That’s so I can apply them regularly to smell good (they fade much more quickly, however, so you have to reapply often).

Phthalates

Phthalates go hand in hand with fragrance, because they’re often added to personal care products to make the scents last longer. That’s not just for perfume and body sprays. When fragrance is added to shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, or lotion, there’s a good chance phthalates are part of the package, and they’re not necessarily on the list of ingredients because they’re locked under the “fragrance” umbrella.

Guess what else? There is very little testing done on phthalates’ effects on your health, even though they’ve been shown to cause problems with the male reproductive system in animal studies. They’re also associated with mimicking and blocking female hormones and early onset puberty. Frightening.

Mineral oil

Mineral oil is still often found in facial oils, hair treatments (which also ends up on your skin), conditioners, body moisturizers, and other treatments, so you really have to read labels to avoid it.

If you’ve ever slathered your body in baby oil, which is just mineral oil with fragrance, you’re familiar with that oddly slick, yet not really moisturizing, coating you get on your skin. It doesn’t soak in completely (probably a good thing, actually), but it just sits there and prevents the skin from doing part of its job—detoxing. The idea behind using mineral oil is usually to lock moisture into the skin, but it blocks your pores and makes it more difficult to sweat toxins out of your body.

Nanoparticles and Oxybenzone

Sunscreen is touted as one of the best defenses about premature aging available, but is it always completely safe? Most sunscreens are chemical sunscreens and don’t protect your skin the way you think they should.

• Nanoparticles may sound high-tech and cool to use, but the whole idea of nanoparticle technology is bad news for your skin and your health. Normal-sized particles that would be harmless on your skin otherwise, would normally sit on top of your skin (like zinc oxide in sunscreen, for example) and protect it. But when nanotechnology is used, natural sun protection like zinc oxide is able to penetrate your skin. Once it penetrates the skin, it can make its way into other parts of the body, like the brain, and accumulate and contribute to cell death. The nanoparticle of zinc oxide (remember, zinc oxide is typically deemed as a good choice for natural sun protection!) may contribute to causing cancer, increase oxidative stress, and damage your DNA.
• Oxybenzone may disrupt the normal functioning of the epidermis, plus it oxidizes quickly when exposed to sunlight. In addition, it reduces the capabilities of antioxidants, creating the perfect storm for free-radical skin damage. Oxybenzone also acts like estrogen once it’s absorbed into the body, and it could play a role in endometriosis in women and sperm production in men.

Look for sunscreens that don’t use nanotechnology or nanoparticles, and choose natural sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as active ingredients. You can also check out these basic tips for healthy sun protection.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES/1,4-Dioxane)

If you’re using a skincare product that foams (like your cleanser for the face or body), there’s a good chance it contains sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. These ingredients are added to everything from car washes and garage floor cleaners to facial cleansers and bubble baths. When formulating Solluna’s Feel Good Cleanser, I was insistent that NONE of that was in the product even though we’ve become accustomed to associating cleaning skin with foam. Foaming and lathering products usually mean there are harmful ingredients used!

Sodium lauryl sulfate tries to sneak by on labels that say “made from coconut” to make it sound natural. It’s not natural; the SLS is a result of a process involving coconut oil. One study in the International Journal of Toxicology says sodium lauryl sulfate has been shown to contribute to “a degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing qualities,” while ammonium lauryl sulfate has, in animals, been linked to death. Both were shown to be skin irritants.

SLES is SLS after it has gone through a process where it reacted with ethylene oxide, which is a known human carcinogen. The Environmental Working Group says the reaction occurs and the end product is added to products like body washes in order to make the ingredients less harsh on the skin. If the ingredients are so harsh that they have to be forced to react with a cancer-causing compound in order to be better on the skin, it’s probably better to SKIP the products containing those things and opt for something gentler (and safer) for your skin.

I simply use Dr. Bronner’s shower gel for my body and, of course, my Solluna Feel Good Cleaner for my face.

Triclosan

While the FDA does say that this ingredient hasn’t been shown to cause problems in humans, the site does admit that it has been linked to hormone disruption in animals. It’s used as an antimicrobial in body washes and soaps, but the EWG points out that triclosan and triclocarban are actually pesticides, too. Why put pesticides on your body when you’re trying so hard to keep them out of your diet?

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)

These are popular in anti-aging skincare products (serums, treatments, and even moisturizers) because they exfoliate, soften, and cleanse the skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and smoothing out the skin tone. However, they’ve also been shown to increase UV sensitivity, so they could potentially backfire with long-term, daytime use (or at least daytime use without a good, natural sunscreen). You’ll often see AHAs listed as glycolic acid or lactic acid. When formulating the Solluna Feel Good Moisturizer I searched high and low to find an alternative to AHAs, so they would be gentle, safe and effective! And I did. Vigna aconitifolia is a miracle botanical ingredient that delivers results without the negative side effects!

Parabens

Parabens (isopropyl paraben, isobutyl paraben, butylparaben, etc) can be found in cosmetics, moisturizing creams, sunscreens, and more, whether you’re shopping in the drugstore or a high-end department store. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) shows that some are more hazardous than others, but I recommend avoiding them all as much as possible in favor of more natural skincare. They’re used as preservatives in skincare products.

Methylparaben has been shown to potentially cause skin damage when exposed to sunlight. Unless you’re only using your paraben-containing products at night (which is unlikely because parabens are everywhere), there’s a good chance you could actually be aging your skin with your skincare regimen. One study showed that methyl parabens combined with UV exposure increased oxidative stress and cell death, not exactly what you’re aiming for when you slather a product on your face to make it look better!

Aside from the aging factor, parabens have been linked to endocrine disruption and breast cancer.

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide, a common ingredient in acne treatments, can be phototoxic when exposed to UVB rays.

Another Reason Why Detoxing Is Important

The problem with some of these ingredients is that, if they can make it through the barrier of your skin, they can make it into the bloodstream and become lodged in your body, causing all sorts of problems over time. If you’re using these products daily, for years, as many of us do, imagine the accumulation of chemicals. This is why ongoing detoxing and cleansing is so important. Solluna’s Beauty Detox True Beauty lifestyle can help you support your body’s natural detoxification pathways with a healthy diet and healthy habits (like adopting a clean beauty routine). That means it’s so beneficial and important to clean up your skincare routine so you’re not constantly re-introducing toxins to your body. My Feel Good Skincare line is a good place to start. It’s a small-batch natural skincare line that is certified cruelty free, non-toxic, vegan, paraben & phthalate-free, gluten-free, Non-GMO, made with organic & 100% plant-based ingredients, and made in the USA.

I also recommend beneficial self-care and skincare practices such as dry brushing to help your skin breathe and detox, and infrared sauna sessions to support natural detoxing. Both are amazing components of an ongoing detox program.