Top moisturizer ingredients to avoid

Growing up my mom was always careful about what she brought into the house when it came to lotions, soaps, deoderants, and other household items. But when I moved out on my own, I didn't know all the reasons why she made the choices she did and decided to forgo those non-toxic items for more conventional formulas. I loved fragranced lotions, soaps, and shampoos, but I realised a couple months into using them that they were aggrevating my eczema. My hands were blistering and cracking, breaking out in dry, red rashes and bleeding. This lead me to do research on my eczema and what could be causing it, and one of the main things that I kept reading was to make sure your lotion was fragrance-free and petroleum-free. They also mentioned a couple other ingredients to avoid, and thus began my journey to find safer moisturizers for my skin.

It was really tough to find lotions without these irritating ingredients, and I ended up forgoing any traditional lotion altogether, instead opting for one or two ingredient moisturizers. You can read more about my favorite simple moisturizers here. But if you love the convenience and consistency of conventional lotions, below are some ingredients you should look out for and be aware of.

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Water

Petroleum

Artificial fragrance (parfum)

Water

Water may seem like a harmless ingredient, as it is something we use and ingest every day. It is the most basic ingredient anyone could use. However, in lotions they can actually cause your skin to get worse, leading to you buying more lotion and therefore be stuck in a loop. Any lotion or cream is, by definition, a mixture of water and oil. In order to keep them from separating like water and oil naturally do, emulsifiers (aka surfactants) are added to the formula. The issue is that these surfactants not only do their job in the lotion formula, but also on the natural oils on your skin. They work by reducing the surface tension of the oil, allowing it to be broken up and mixed with the water. While this may be benefitial for creating lotions, the surfactants can also mix with the natural oils on your skin, allowing that natural barrier to be washed away. This removes that protective barrier on your skin and makes it easier for your hands to dry out. It is very paradoxical, the more you use the lotion the drier your hands become.

Petroleum

When people hear about petroleum in skincare, their first thought goes to Vasaline. This is 100% petroleum and has great uses for wound protection, but when it comes to everyday moisturizer, it can actually be detrimental. There are a couple ingredients that are derived from petroleum which are used in skincare, such as mineral oil, paraffin, and petrolatum. All these ingredients are by-products of crude oil, and are often used due to their inexpensive price point. However, these cheap fillers can cause acne, irritation, and dryness. Petroleum based ingredients can clog your pores, leading to acne on acne prone areas. It creates a waterproof barrier, which makes it more difficult for the other lotion ingredients to be absorbed into your skin. But not only can petroleum products suffocate your skin microbiome, but it has the possibility of causing significant health issues.

The European Union goes as far as classifying petroleum products as carcinognes and restricts their use in skincare. Petroleum can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and studies have shown that there is a correllation between skin exposure to PAHs and cancers such as bladder, lung, and skin cancer. Phthalates, which are known endocrine and hormonal disrupters, are also derived from petroleum-based ingredients are are present in many common moisturizers. So although petroleum products may seem harmless and even a safe "base" for lotions, it actually comes with many adverse side affects that are not worth risking.

Artificial fragrance (parfum)

Who doesn't want to smell good, right? We live in a world full of beautifully scented candles, skincare, haircare, and even dish soaps. But what is really creating that beautiful fragrance? Becuase fragrances are considered "trade secrets," brands are not required to disclose the chemicals used to create those scents. In fact, a single scent may contain anywhere between 50-300 unique chemicals! Most of these chemicas are petroleum by-products called petrochemicals, and have the same side-effects as petrolem products (endocrine disrupters, several types of cancers, and hormonal imbalance).

Aside from causing internal health issues, artificual frangrances can cause rashes and inflammation on your skin. This is especially true if your skin is already dry, cracked, or chafed. But what if you still want to have a pleasantly-scented lotion? You can opt for naturally scented formulas that use essential oils or essences instead of parfum, perfume, aroma, or fragrance. But you also have to be cautious with these as well, as some essential oils are so strong that they can further irritate broken skin. Also, when testing a new essential oil, be sure to test it first on an inconspicuous area as some people can be allergic to certain oils.

Conclusion

Lotions are a staple in every skincare bag, and it is important to make sure that it is actually healing your body. Our skin is the largest organ, and absorbs 60-70% of the products we put on it, so we should be on the lookout when purchasing or making moisturizers to rub on it. By avoiding lotions with water, petroleum-based products, and artificial fragrances, we can make a big step in protecting our skin.