Ingredients to avoid in skin care

Welcome to my master list of unhealthy ingredients to avoid in skin care.

I know I’ll be adding to this list regularly, Sadly, there are so many unhealthy ingredients in use.

Ingredients to avoid in skin care

Ingredients to avoid in skin care

Some of these ingredients can have implications for the health of you and your family. Some are just fillers with no beneficial use. Either way, I’ll be avoiding all of them.

Please note that this is an extensive, but non-comprehensive, list of undesirable ingredients in skincare products. This is a list of the ingredients I’ve found and want to avoid on my healthy skincare journey.

To check any ingredients, head over to EWG’s Skin Deep database.

  • 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3 Diol/Bronopol (formaldehyde releasing)
  • Alpha-isomethyl ionone
  • Aluminium chlorohydrate
  • Aminomethyl propanol
  • Ammonium laureth sulfate (nitrosating agent)
  • Avobenzone
  • Benzene
  • Benzophenone
  • Benzyl alcohol
  • Benzyl benzoate *
  • BHA
  • BHT
  • Boric acid/Sodium borate
  • Carbon black
  • Coal tar
  • DEA (Diethanolamine) (formaldehyde releasing)
  • DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide)
  • Diazolidinyl urea (formaldehyde releasing)
  • Dimethicone
  • DMDM hydantoin (formaldehyde releasing)
  • Ethanol
  • Ethyl acrylate
  • Ethyl alcohol
  • Ethyl methacrylate
  • Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate/Octinoxate
  • Fragrance/Parfum
  • Glyceryl isostearate
  • Homosalate
  • Hydroxymethylglycinate (formaldehyde releasing)
  • Hydroxymethylsarcosine (nitrosating agent)
  • Imidazolidinyl urea (formaldehyde releasing)
  • Liquid paraffin
  • Liquid petroleum
  • MEA (Monoethanolamine) (nitrosating agent)
  • Methyl methacrylate
  • Methylbenzene
  • Methylchloroisothiazolinone
  • Methylisothiazolinone
  • Mica
  • Myristyl myristate
  • Octocrylene
  • Oxybenzone
  • p-Phenylenediamine
  • PABA
  • Parabens
  • Paraffin oil
  • Paraffinum liquidum
  • PEGs
  • Petrolatum liquid
  • Petroleum oil
  • Phenoxyethanol
  • Phenylmethane
  • Polyacrylamide
  • Polysorbate-20
  • Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
  • Potassium sorbate
  • Propylene glycol
  • Quaternium-7, 15, 31, 60 etc (formaldehyde releasing)
  • Resorcinol
  • Retinol
  • Retinyl palmitate
  • Sodium benzoate (controversial, not enough evidence)
  • Sodium laureth sulfate (nitrosating agent)
  • Sodium lauryl sulfate (nitrosating agent)
  • Sorbic acid
  • Sorbitan sesquioleate
  • Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
  • Talc
  • TEA (Triethanolamine) (nitrosating agent)
  • Tetrasodium EDTA
  • Titanium dioxide (when inhaled)
  • Tocopherol acetate
  • Toluene
  • Toluol
  • Triclocarban
  • Triclosan
  • Triethanolamine (TEA)
  • Urea

* this can occur naturally in safe concentrations, or can be man-made.

Let me know in the comments if there are any ingredients I should add to this list.

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