ingredients to avoid
healthy chemical-free skincare for you
Many skin care products on our supermarket and department store shelves today are not necessarily benefitting the well-being of the skin but rather the cost, stability and shelf life of their products. Many skin care products are manufactured from refined ingredients that have been stripped of all their natural aromas, nutrients and color, that may have been contaminated with a multitude of harmful chemicals. Once the living nutrients from the plant products are removed, coloring agents and synthetic fragrances are often added back to the product to resemble the natural ingredients they claim to contain. The majority of commercial skincare products hold a whole host of chemical ingredients that you would probably rather avoid.
Learn to read skincare and cosmetics labels. Product Ingredient listings are required to be listed in ascending order – that is from the largest amount to the smallest amount. Water is usually number one on most ingredient listings.
Beware of companies that claim to be "natural" or "organic" but who also use synthetic chemicals in their formulations.
ingredients to avoid:
Here I have listed some ingredients that should be avoided if possible. At the very least, you should be aware of them – so you can make an informed decision. See more on the Product Comparison Sheets as to what other brands use and what Carmajé chooses not to.
Mineral Oil - (Petrolatum, Vaseline, Paraffin) It is found in a lot of skincare products from Baby Oils (often which are 100% Mineral Oil!!) to lpipsticks,lip balms, make-up etc. It is a mixture of refined liquid hydrocarbons derived from petroleum. They are a very cheap alternative to the far superior cold-pressed natural oils. Essentially, Mineral oil cannot penetrate into the deep skin layers, so it doesn't do a very good job at hydrating the skin. Because it forms a barrier on the skin it is often said to interfere with skin's ability to elmate toxins, promoting acne and other skin disorders. The biggest concern is that many mineral oils have been shown to be contaminated with cancer causing PAH's (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). It is often impossible to know the source of the mineral oils used brands of cosmetics and skincare and therefore impossible to assess the risk of products containing “mineral oil” . Other studies have shown that it has caused allergic reactions on some people. Whether this is because of the mineral oil or contaminants in the oil is out for debate.
- Carmajé chooses to use only pure cold-pressed Organic natural oils such as Jojoba and Sweet Almond which mimic the skins natural oils and are easily absorbed resulting in superior hydration to the deep layers of your skin.
Methyl / Propyl / Butyl / Ethyl Paraben — It is estimated that over 90% of cosmetics and skin care on the market contains parabens. They are used as a preservative in products. They give very extensive shelf lives to beauty products which is great from a cost-effective production technique. These preservatives are widely used even though they are known to be toxic. There are two parts to the issue of Parabens. Firstly they are a major skin irritant. Even in minute concentrations they are one of the main causes of allergic reactions and skin rashes in skincare products. Have you ever wondered why so many products containing these run the label warnings – “if irritation is present, discontinue use…”
The second and more concerning issue is that they are classed as “endocrine disrupting chemicals” as they can mimic oestrogen and can therefore disrupt the delicate hormone balance in our bodies. More recently they have been linked to breast cancers because traces have been found in some breast tumours. This may be due to their ability to mimic oestrogen which can drive the growth of breast tumours. It has definitely highlighted the need for much more extensive research into this possible link. (Univeristy of Reading, 2004)
Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea — Another potent formaldehyde-releasing preservative. These are the most commonly used preservatives after the parabens. They are known to be a major cause of contact dermatitis (American Academy of Dermatology). Two trade names for these chemicals are Germall II and Germall 115. Neither of the Germall chemicals have a good antifungal, and must be combined with other preservatives. Germall 115 releases formaldehyde at just over 10°. These chemicals are toxic.
- Carmajé chooses to use only natural preservatives and anti-oxidants such as Grapefruit Seed Extract, Natural Vitamin E, and Rosemary Leaf Extract.
Petrolatum — (Mineral Oil) This ingredient is often seen on Lip products and advertised as a protector from sun, wind etc. Petrolatum is actually a mineral oil jelly, and mineral oil causes a lot of problems when used, such as skin photosensitivity (i.e., promotes sun damage). It also can interfere with the body's own natural moisturising mechanism, leading to dry skin and chapping. You are being sold a product that creates the very conditions it claims to alleviate. Manufacturers use petrolatum because it is unbelievably cheap.
- Carmajé chooses to use no Petroleum derived ingredients in any of its products. Our Lip Balms contain pure organic cold-pressed oils and natural beeswax.
Propylene Glycol — Often it is a synthetic petro-chemical mix used as a humectant. (helps to retain moisture in the skin) It has been known to cause allergic and toxic reactions when used in high percentages. Some studies have shown severe reactions at percentages of only 5%.Again, there is a lot of hype about Propylene Glycol being used as an industrial anti-freeze ingredient and that it has been linked to kidney and liver abnormalities. These claims are talking about use in high concentrations, but I ask you - why use a product that may have nasty side effect, when there is a natural alternative?
- Carmajé chooses not to use Propylene Glycol in any of our products. We use Vegetable derived Glycerine (non GM) in all of our cremes and lotions. Our aim has always been, if there is a doubt –find a natural alternative.
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) — also its cousin Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) There are surfactants (detergents) These ingredients are one of the major causes of skin irritations in skincare products. They are used in Shampoos and cleansers for their detergent and foam-building abilities. They can cause eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, scalp scurf similar to dandruff, and allergic reactions. It is frequently disguised in pseudo-natural cosmetics with the parenthetic explanation "comes from coconut.” These surfactants not only cause skin irritations but also strip your skin of their natural oils, promoting dehydration - one of the biggest "agers" of our skin.
- Carmajé chooses not to use SLS or SLES in any of its products. There are much milder surfactants than these which we use in our shampoos and baby products.
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Synthetic Colours — These are too often a major contributor to many skin irritations, synthetic colours used to supposedly make a cosmetic "pretty" should be avoided at all costs, along with hair dyes. They will be labelled as FD&C or D&C, followed by a colour and a number. Example: FD&C Red No. 6 / D&C Green No. 6. Many synthetic colours are believed to contain cancer-causing agents. Again, many of the risks are relating to very high concentrations over long periods of use, which does not happen with cosmetics. If there is a risk though, why take it?
- Carmajé chooses not to use any synthetic colours in any of our products. No unnecessary colours of any kind are used to make our products look “prettier”.
Synthetic Fragrances — Many synthetic fragrances used in cosmetics can have as many as 200 ingredients. There is no way to know what the chemicals are, since on the label it will simply say "Fragrance." Some of the problems caused by these chemicals are headaches, dizziness, rash, hyperpigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting, and skin irritation. Beware the word “Fragrance” .
- Carmaje chooses not to use any unnecessary or Synthetic fragrances of any kind in any of our products. Our pure extracts and 100% Essential Oils are used for their therapeutic qualities in all our products.
These are only a few of the myriad of synthetic and semi-synthetic ingredients listed on our skincare products. It is by no means a comprehensive list. If you would like to know more, let us know. We can always point you in the right direction to finding out more information – to have knowledge is to have power.