Check Your Ingredients: Here is Five Ingredients to Lookout for in Your Skincare

Purchasing skin care can be quite stressful, especially if you are a beginner user who is unfamiliar with what does what. A lot of skin care products make brazen claims that they can ‘heal’ all skincare problems. So it can be hard to sift through what is true and what isn’t.

Here at ESW Beauty we are transparent about the ingredients we include in our products, and can ensure that our products are free of harmful ingredients. All of our sheet masks are free from toxins and are cruelty-free, meaning we do not include any animal byproducts.

However, not all brands follow this philosophy, unfortunately. Which is why I have curated a detailed list of ingredients to lookout for when purchasing new skin care products.

Photo by@Rachel Chengon Unsplash

1. Squalene

If you are not already familiar with squalene, you might be unaware that it’s not cruelty-free or vegan. Squalene oil is synthesized from the livers of sharks, making it a non-vegan ingredient. However, animal-based squalene exists as an equal substitute for the otherwise non-vegan version.

Plant-based squalene usually derives from olive oil, rice bran, wheat germ or sugar cane. So try out this version so you can use the ingredient free of any guilt.

1. Synthetic Fragrance

If you see synthetic fragrances in your skincare products—drop it now. Oftentimes, synthetic fragrances are a front for a myriad of ingredients that are not shown on the ingredient list.

Synthetic fragrances usually also contain alcohol in them, which can be extremely drying on the skin. So try your best to avoid this big red flag of an ingredient.

1. Diethanolamine (DEA)

This skincare ingredient is one that can be found in a lot of foam cleansers. This ingredient has an ammonia-like odor and causes systemic toxicity mainly in the liver, kidney, red blood cells and the nervous system.

The same goes for these other two ingredients, Monoethanolamine (MEA) , and Triethanolamine (TEA).

1. DMDM HYDANTOIN

This is another ingredient that can be found in facial cleansers, as well as exfoliants and scrubs. This product has a lot of controversy surrounding it due to the claim that it “makes hair fall out once it interacts with hot water.”

As well as its scandalous claims within the hair care community , this product is known for releasing formaldehyde, leading to immense skin irritation.

1. Parabens

Parabens, which are found in many products, including skincare products are used as preservatives. However, parabens are worth avoiding as they are a disruptor to the endocrine system

This ingredient has the ability to harm fertility and reproductive organs, affect birth outcomes, and increase the risk of cancer.

If you look out for these ingredients, you should have no issues with your skin!