Your skin is a vital barrier against abrasion, chemicals and pathogens. Proper skin hygiene is one way to keep skin healthy. Selecting the correct products to perform that task is also crucial to healthy skin.
My caution to you is to select skin care products very carefully. Many over-the-counter lotions, creams, etc. have fragrances or preservatives that can irritate your skin or cause allergic reactions. By law, in the United States skin care products must contain preservatives to keep the formulas stable. Usually though, the percentages are small, one percent or less. Also by law, cosmetic manufacturers are required to list ingredient information on the labels of all their products. Ingredients are listed in descending order, so that the first ingredient in the list is present in the greatest amount. However, if all ingredient concentrations are less than one percent they may be listed in any order.
Some common preservatives that can cause allergic reactions include:
Wool Alcohol or Lanolin This is a natural product obtained from the fleece of sheep and is commonly used in cosmetics, toiletries and medicines. Symptoms of allergic reactions include redness, itching, swelling and fluid filled blisters.
Fragrance Mix Fragrances are used to mask or improve the smell of a product. When you see fragrance among the ingredients on a product label, it most likely is artificial, like a perfume. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, unless you don't like the scent or you're allergic to it. Essential oil fragrances from a natural oil of a fragrant flower are tolerated by most people. However some people who are sensitive to strong smells will find that they have just as much of a problem with botanically enhanced "natural" products as with the artificial scents. Symptoms of allergic reactions include redness, itching, swelling and fluid filled blisters.
Parabens (sometimes called phenonip) These are preservatives identified by the prefixes: butyl, ethyl, isobutyl, methyl and propyl. Parabens are getting a lot of negative attention lately because they are widely used and are suspected of causing more problems than allergic reactions. Symptoms of allergic reactions include redness, itching, swelling and fluid filled blisters.
Quaternium-15 This ingredient belongs to a group of preservatives known as formaldehyde-releasing agents. It is commonly found in creams, lotions, moisturizers, cleansers, etc. Symptoms of allergic reactions include redness, itching, swelling and fluid filled blisters.
Formaldehyde A preservative commonly used in embalming fluid. We all know it from Chemistry 101. Quaternium-15 is a formaldehyde-releasing agent. Personally, I would avoid any product containing quaternium-15 for that reason.
Diazolidinyl urea This is a preservative that is used in a variety of products, most notably used in personal care products and cosmetics. It is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. However, it is a common allergen. Symptoms of allergic reactions include redness, itching, swelling and fluid filled blisters.
Imidiazolidinyl urea This is another form of the above preservative.
Of course there are other preservatives to which one could develop an allergic reaction, but is not a common allergen. Some include: Caprylyl glycol, citric acid, DMDM hydantoin and methylisothiazolinone.
How do you protect yourself? Become a label reader. I understand what you may be thinking this label stuff is too confusing! My recommendation is to learn to recognize the names of the common preservatives in skin care products. Knowing where to look and how to read the information can help you avoid contact with substances that may cause your skin to react.
One last note of caution: Beware of products labeled as hypoallergenic, natural or organic. These labels do not mean that the product does not contain allergens. These are mostly marketing hype in some cases. Be sure! Read the ingredients on the label!!!
This author of this Article has choosen to make this article available with free reprint rights. Click here to copy this article.
Karen P from Chula Vista, CA (106 days 10 hours ago.)
Very helpful and informative data. Thanks, Carol
I will be mindful of these preservatives.
Karen Respond to this comment
Goddess from Chattanooga, TN (106 days 10 hours ago.)
Good thing I'm using the product you gave me from Dr. S. otherwise, I would be having a problem right about now... but as I look in the mirror, I see that I'm still a perfect, beautiful shade of moonlight. Thanks for the gift and the knowledge to not only better living, but also better looking!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is
provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice
provided to you by any health care or other professional or
organization.
