We went out and bought a most regular Hand and Body Lotion from the drugstore. The packaging and outlook looked great and of course the price was decent. Yet what lurks behind the label? Today we will list the full ingredients of an average day to day body lotion which you may be using on your skin. Firstly just so you know ingredients are always listed in a specific order. The first ingredient has the highest percentage.
In this moisturizer we start with water. You can look up more information on these ingredients on skindeep.com to know exactly what to avoid in your personal care products.
Aqua/Water - as most know water isn't a moisturizer, it is simply used to water down the product even in natural formulations.
Isopropyl Myristate - Is the ester of rubbing alcohol. Easily absorbed into the derma it is known to moisturize skin. Chemically derived this ingredient is of low hazard to the skin.
Isopropyl Palmitate - Derived from Palmitic acid.
Stearic Acid - Is the fatty acid which helps emulsify water with oils. It is rated a 3 and has been linked to cancer.
Cetearyl Alcahol - It is used to keep products from separating.
Cetereth-20 - Unsafe for use on broken skin. Eye and lung irritant. May be contaminated with 1,4 Dioxane .
PEG-100- Polyethylene glycols are often contaminated with Dioxane and are linked to cancer in animal studies. Also eye and lung irritants.
Sorbitan Stearate - Very skin-compatible ester of stearic acid and sorbitan, used as oil-soluble emulsifier.
Sweet Almond Oil - Ah, finally we hope upon a natural ingredient in this formula. Sweet almond oil (Prunus amygdalus var. dulcis) is a great vegetable oil that is one of the most used carrier oils in aromatherapy massage, and this is understandable since it has a fine texture, is easily absorbed, and helps to leave the skin soft and satiny smooth yet it is non-greasy and easily absorbed.
Grapefruit Extract - Score! Natural ingredient number 2. Contains lycopene, a potent antioxidant for skin.
Glycerin - Natural ingredient #3. Glycerin is derived from vegetables and is a fat which helps retain moisture in skin.
Triethanolamine- Also known as TEA this ingredient is known to cause lymphoid, kidney and renal tumors in animals. Skin and eye irritant when used in all dosages. Even low.
Propylene Glycol - Present in very many formulations, even in food this ingredient is known to cause eye irritations and conjunctivitis, as well as respiratory tract irritations.
Diazolidinyl Urea - is a fine white powder. Diazolidinyl Urea can be found in many cosmetic and personal care product types including eye and facial makeup, aftershave, and nail, bath, hair and skin care products.
Fragrance - A synthetic aroma which can cause lung irritations in many humans as well as asthma.
Methyl Paraben/Propyl Paraben - A synthetic preservative. Skin and Eye irritant, endocrine disruptor liked to breast and ovarian cancer, envoirnmental contaminant.
Vitamin E - Natural ingredient #4, great antioxidant for skin. Look for Natural vitamin E when purchased not synthetic. A helpful hint is that if the vitamin E is clear in colour it is synthetic. Natural Vitamin E is a viscous dark brown.
Tetrasodium EDTA - Neurotoxin linked to brain damage in animal studies, caused liver damage, fetal death, birth abnormalities, made from formaldehyde, and approved in todays use in cosmetics and BABY FOOD!
C1 17200 - If you see a number like this in an ingredient list it stands for synthetic colorant.
Benzophenone - 3 - Associated with photoallergic reactions. This chemical absorbs through the skin in significant amounts. It contaminates the bodies of 97% of Americans according to Centers for Disease Control research. rated a high 8 on Skin deep.
So this is pretty much the ingredients of this regular day to day body and hand cream. Honestly what in the world are we putting on our skin? Out of the 20 ingredients we had 4 natural ingredients meaning that only 20% of this formulation is natural. The other 80% is loaded with synthetic chemicals. Please scan prior to purchasing, after all isn't what we put on our skin as important as what we eat?
I needed this list, thank you! It saves me the truble of amking one myself, which i was going to do! Also, thank you for the great, and truly natural products...
ReplyDeleteYours Truly,
Mila T.
I actually didn't know that! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. Look forward to more information on skincare.
ReplyDeletehmm... INTERESTING. wHAT CREAM IS THIS??
ReplyDeleteAnom. This is a regular moisturizer, I cannot reveal the company name because we are not trying to insult any specific companies. It's just a list that you will probably find in most drugstore moisturizers.
ReplyDelete