We all feel the drive to smell good, look fabulous, and slay in college. We shop with one thing in mind, to get healthy and clean skin. But what we don’t realize is that smelling good does not equate to treating your skin right. There are always three ingredients that I always check for in my common skin care products. The most common ingredients in some skincare products are PEGs, parabens and fragrances. Even if they sound harmless, these are the very things you need to watch out for.
Polyethylene glycol compounds or PEGs have become a serious problem that has inserted themselves into our everyday products. This compound contains petroleum which is derived from common natural gas and coal. Why is this in skincare and beauty products? Well, it is a cheap option to thicken, soften, and even add toxic moisture to your skin, but often causes irritation. Not only is this ingredient horrible for the environment but it is a common carcinogen. This factor means that it can cause extreme cases of cancer, with different variations depending on where the product is placed on the skin. Remember to look out for those three letters, PEG.
Parabens are used in beauty and skincare products as artificial preservatives. This particular chemical is especially dangerous to the reproductive organs. Any product that includes parabens can disrupt your hormones, the same hormones birth control is trying to balance. Eventually, continuous use of these chemicals can harm fertility and reproductive organs, even causing birth defects. When looking at labels, watch out for the most common paraben, propylparaben, and others that include the word paraben.
Fragrance does not seem to be a big deal, especially when we are all worried about smelling good first and taking care of our body second. With new technology, fragrance has developed to be more natural but on the other hand, it can hide dangerous chemicals like petroleum. If you bought a perfume or body wash that causes a rash or hives. Throw it out! Your skin is literally telling you not to use a product, no matter how good it smells. Not only can you get rashes but sometimes even cancer in extreme cases. In the ingredients look for petroleum, phthalates, benzophenone and styrene. Also, some bottles now include a label saying fragrance-free, but before you buy a heavily scented product, please check your ingredients.
PEGs, parabens and fragrances are some of the most dangerous chemicals that are continually recurring in skincare. There are many more, but these are currently the most harmful to humans and the environment alike. The chemicals are invisible but their effects are not, so next time you are out shopping, think about the harm you could be putting your skin through.