How many times have you looked at the make-up displays and fallen in love with that glittery nail polish? How many times have you wished you were wearing that gorgeous, super-volumising mascara? In today’s marketplace, it is virtually impossible not to fall in love with the packaging of a cosmetic and some products are able to attract attention not only with their promises of extraordinary results, but also with their magnificent fragrances.
Often you might find big brand products promising great results, but this is not always the case.
One example of this is a perfect fit for an entire day, or resistance to water, or a certain interaction with the skin: often all these seemingly effortless achievements are often a source of harmful substances for your body.
In this regard, it is certainly interesting to know that cosmetics or, more generally, useful body care products, can be the cause of skin disorders, such as annoying dermatitis. But is there a solution to protect your body and keep it safe from the risk of developing dermatitis?
The answer is fortunately positive and not complicated: all you have to do is check the INCI, the list of ingredients which, since 1997 thanks to a specific law, must be displayed on the cosmetic, showing all its components.
In this way, by looking at the list on the product you wish to buy, you can see if there are any potentially harmful ingredients for your skin and find out whether you are dealing with a ‘junk’ product or a truly ‘green’ one.
Which harmful parts should be present only to a small extent or not at all?
Before going on to a list, bear in mind that the ingredients are listed in the INCI in descending order and, therefore, the first element indicated is present in the product in a higher concentration than the last.
The first harmful elements on the list are preservatives, and the most commonly used in cosmetics are parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben), kathon, urea, triclosan, BHA and BHT. These substances are added to cosmetics to prevent the development of bacteria and moulds.
Emulsifiers (DEA, MEA, TEA, PEG, PPG) and foaming surfactants (SLS, SLES) are two other harmful components that can cause skin disorders, just like silicones, petroleum derivatives, dyes and alcohol. If you are curious to analyse your product, you can do so by consulting the famous Biodictionary!
At first it can be annoying and not at all easy to check the ingredients of cosmetics, but nowadays I pay a lot of attention whenever I buy cosmetics, as I want to have a product of good quality and above all not harmful to the skin.
Taking care of your skin and taking care of it aesthetically is important, but even more important is protecting it from avoidable risks by choosing skin-friendly products.
