Glowing Naturally: The Benefits of Non-Toxic Ingredients for Radiant Skin

It’s Important To Research Ingredients

Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to find skincare products. But, it can be difficult to figure out which ingredients are beneficial. Not only do some ingredients just not work, but a number of them can actively damage your skin. It’s vital to use ingredients that promote skin health; it’s our biggest organ and first line of defense against things like germs and dirt! If you want to have glowing, radiant skin, continue reading. You’ll learn about some ingredients to avoid, which ones are beneficial, and what they can do for your skin.

Why Ingredients Matter

It’s important to use non-toxic skincare products because they can help repair your skin and maintain its health. The skin barrier is very important, as it protects the body from external danger, prevents excessive water loss, and helps maintain homeostasis. Harmful ingredients can damage this barrier.

Beneficial products and a good skincare routine can also help reduce signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. It can also help protect the skin against sun damage and UV rays, which can cause skin cancer.

Ingredients To Look For

The following is a list of ingredients that you should want in a product. You will learn the benefits of each ingredient and why you may want to incorporate it into your skincare routine.

Aloe Vera

Many of us are familiar with aloe vera for its soothing properties. But, it’s also safe to use on your face!

Aloe vera can help alleviate symptoms of not only sunburn, but also irritation and dryness from eczema and psoriasis. If you have any small cuts or scratches on your face, aloe vera might help boost collagen production and minimize scarring.

Finally, it can help fight certain types of acne. Even though aloe vera is commonly thought to be used for dry skin, it may reduce redness and irritation with inflammatory acne. Inflammatory or cystic acne is a type of acne characterized by red, swollen cysts or nodules.

Ceramides

Ceramides play an important role in keeping your skin bouncy and smooth. It also helps with skin cell arrangement by providing them a structure and it helps your skin retain its moisture.

When you reach your 30’s, your ceramide levels begin to drop, and by the time you’re 40, you could have lost anywhere around 60% of your naturally occurring ceramides. This loss contributes to thinning skin.

The good news is that using products that have ceramides in them can help your skin stay hydrated and looking refreshed! Many lotions, creams, and serums contain ceramides.

Hypochlorous Acid

Hypochlorous acid is a molecule that is made up of chloride, hydrogen, and oxygen. Your body naturally produces hypochlorous acid. White blood cells produce it to fight off diseases and the skin produces it to promote healing.

You can use hypochlorous acid on eczema and psoriasis flare ups; many find that it soothes inflamed skin. It can also be useful for acne breakouts. Because it’s present in white blood cells, hypochlorous acid is great at killing germs that cause acne.

Ingredients To Avoid

Now, here are some ingredients to avoid. If you look at the ingredients list of a product and see any of these, you might want to reconsider purchasing or using it.

Fragrance

Fragrance refers to a mixture of chemicals that produce a certain smell. This can be quite broad and is found in many products, like lotion, perfume, and creams. There are over 3,000 chemicals used to create fragrances.

When reading labels, these chemicals are not always listed. The ingredients list may only say fragrance, parfum, perfume, or any other similar sounding variation.

The chemicals used for these fragrances can cause problems. For instance, some may develop contact dermatitis when using fragrance. Contact dermatitis happens when the skin comes into contact with an irritant or an allergen that causes redness, itching, and/or a rash. Because fragrance can be composed of mystery chemicals, you may have an allergy or sensitivity that you are not aware of.

Mineral Oil

This is an ingredient found in many skin and body care products. In fact, baby oil is mostly made of mineral oil. It’s great at sealing in moisture and doesn’t penetrate the skin. So, it’s not the most dangerous ingredient to use. However, repeated and continuous use of mineral oil can have the opposite intended effect.

When you use mineral oil for too long, it may hinder the effectiveness of your natural skin barrier. The skin is overly moisturized and starts to swell up a bit. Now, your skin is overly reliant on mineral oil to keep in moisture, as it now lacks the ability to do so on its own. This is similar to what happens to people who overuse chapstick. But, this does not happen to everyone. Pausing usage for a prolonged period of time can also retrain your skin barrier to hold in moisture.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colorless gas that is found in many things, not just skincare. Its purpose is to prevent mold and fungus from growing in water-based products. It is also a known carcinogen, so skincare products don’t really contain them anymore. That has led manufacturers to look for replacements. Many of these replacements aren’t much safer for human use and some also release formaldehyde over time. Some of these replacements include:

• DMDM Hydantoin
• Bronopol
• Quaternium-15
• Methanol
• Methenamine

Formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing gases may also cause contact dermatitis, which creates redness and irritation. So, it’s best to stay away from these substances.

When shopping for skincare products, it’s important to read over the entire ingredients list, not just the active ingredients. Buy products that are holistic and use natural ingredients. Not only will your skin look healthier, it will be healthier. Your skin will thank you!