Ingredient Scares that are Just Plain False

Are you ready for some skincare myths to get debunked? With so much information available on the internet combined with the marketing tactics of buzzwords like “paraben-free” or “charcoal-infused,” it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know which ingredients are bad and which ingredients are good in our skincare regime. Most of these ingredient scares are not backed by facts but are fads invented by easily-scared consumers with little knowledge of the way ingredients actually work.

We will be focusing on top ingredient scares that just are not as dangerous as we may think. These are ingredients that the media and beauty-fanatics may have sworn off and demanded we all agree are bad for us. How many times have you heard someone say a certain ingredient was terrible, only to find out it was actually harmless? I’m sure you are guilty of doing it a few times. It is easy to fall into that trap because we don’t want to put something on our skin everyday that could potentially be hazardous. That is understandable. However, below are a few of the top ingredient scares that are not true.

Parabens

Parabens had its 20 minutes of fame as the evil tiny beads in common beauty products. There was a study very distantly linked to breast cancer, and many people began demanding the ingredient be banned. But in fact, there is no proof and paraben is just a preservative ingredient that does not cause any health problems.

Silicones

This ingredient was boycotted but for no reason at all backing it up. Silicones are great for repairing skin and are used in many household products. And while many products claimed to be silicon-free, that wasn’t even the case. Silicons are found under many names such as phenyl trimethicone.

Sulfates

Sulfates were also on the so-called naughty list of ingredients. Most people aren’t even sure why they were avoided. Sulfates are only surfactants which is a molecule mixture that attracts water and oil. This, in turn, allows the dirt to separate from your skin and hair while the water rinses it away. That sounds exactly like what a shampoo should do, hence why it is a common ingredient in shampoo. Although this makes perfect sense as an ingredient, many companies still produced “sulfate-free” shampoos to market to the public.

Talc

Health experts have agreed that talc is okay for topical use. It is an absorbent, anti-caking agent used in many makeup and body products. Many people were saying it contained asbestos fibres but an FDA study proved that to be false. It does not contain asbestos residue and is perfectly safe in many beauty products. Too much talc used in face makeup (specifically found in mineral makeup) can possibly clog pores, however.

Busting the myths

It is easy to become involved in these scare tactics often found in beauty products and skincare lines. Many consumers feel like there is one specific ingredient that can do wonders in a product and must be the key to perfect skin–but it is not that easy. And other consumers believe there are specific ingredients we must avoid to maintain radiant skin and hair– but it is never that simple.

Being well-informed is the best tactic to searching and purchasing great, well-rounded products on the market. Avoiding specific ingredients because of marketing tactics or because a beauty guru said to is usually a fad that fades away. But being knowledgeable about ingredients and how they affect skin and work with the body to improve look and feel is the key to a successful skincare regime. Listen and look at how your body and skin reacts to certain ingredients and don’t make decisions that aren’t backed by facts.

About Advanced Dermatology Skincare

At Advanced Dermatology we are very particular about the ingredients we use in our skin care products.  All of our skin care products are completely free from parabens-, urea-, phthalates-, sulfates-, formaldehydes-, PEGs-, nono-particles-, and petroleum-. In addition to that Advanced Dermatology products do not contain harmful chemicals, preservatives, artificial fragrances or dyes.  Many of these ingredients are found in many of the household skincare brands, and while it isn’t perfectly clear what the risks are, if any, we’ve gone to great depths to eliminate them just in case. We are in a small list of skincare manufacturers who have voluntarily removed all of those controversial ingredients from our products. Not only that, but many of the ingredients in our new formulations are derived from organic botanicals, sea-plants sourced from pristine waters, and now even organically sourced plant derived ingredients. You will find that this is not typical of “clinical” product lines available on the market.