Are anti aging skin care ingredients safe?
Are all anti aging skin care ingredients safe? Baby boomers are inflating the senior population and anti-aging is a topic that is drawing increased attention. Vendors are racing to flood the shelves with the latest skin care product offerings for anti-aging.
But what about the ingredients that goes into these creams, serums, and gels? Can they cause us any harm? Get the low down here, without the hype when it comes to anti aging skin care ingredients.
1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: This is occasionally used as a model skin irritant in experiments where skin protectors are actually tested. Don’t use products with this ingredient unless it’s only going to be on your skin a short time.
2. Synthetic Fragrances: There is typically no way to tell which fragrance is in your product, since on the label it will usually just say “Fragrance.” They provide no benefit to your skin. What fragrance can do is hide the fact that your product is spoiled.
3. Parabens: Examples of this are Methyl, Ethyl, Propyl and Butyl Paraben. Parabens are used as preservatives because they reduce bacteria growth and therefore increase the shelf life of a product. However, Methyl paraben could decompose and release methanol, which could be toxic. Of course, it would be such a small amount that it might not even be noticeable. Parabens don’t typically cause a reaction to most people but more research needs to be completed before it is determined whether or not they cause low levels of skin damage over time.
4. Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea: This is also used as a preservative. It can cause contact dermatitis when people have an allergic reaction to it. You might find this listed under Germall II and Germall 115. It appears likely that low level skin damage could occur over time if continual use is made of products containing this ingredient.
5. Synthetic Colors: it is unknown whether or not using synthetic colors as an anti aging skin care ingredient is safe or not. They can be labeled as FD&C or D&C, followed by a color and a number, such as FD&C Red No. 6 or D&C Green No. 4. They are not used for anything other than to give the product color and therefore have no real purpose.
6. Ethanolamines: These can be listed as Monoethanolamine, Diethanolamine, or Triethanolamine. They are used as pH stabilizers. When they are subjected to air they create nitrosoamines, which are potentially toxic. It is unclear how much nitrosoamines are formed during typical use of skin care products so it is best practice just to stay away from products that contain ethanolamines.
7. Mineral oil: This is petroleum derived from hydrocarbons and is used as an inexpensive base in some products. It is fairly comedogenic. Mineral oil could also impede with regular perspiration which could lead to serious conditions such as dehydration.
8. Propylene Glycol: This ingredient prevents the product from drying out. It can lead to redness, irritated skin, and contact dermatitis.