The Dangers Of Conventional Skincare Products
If you watch TV, browse the Internet, or read a national newspaper, you’re bound to see an advertisement for a skincare product. Unfortunately, these advertisements are misleading and don’t convey the many dangers associated with today’s skincare products. Today, we’re here to provide you with a breakdown of the dangers of conventional skincare products, why you may want to consider natural alternatives and products that allow you to do so.
Conventional Skincare Products Contain Parabens
One of the most significant issues with conventional skincare products is that they contain parabens. Parabens are a preservative that manufacturers put into the products to extend their shelf life. Parabens are also necessary for transportation since conventional skincare products will become ruined if they suffer temperatures that are too hot or too cold. Parabens help prevent this from happening.
Unfortunately, parabens are problematic because they replicate the human body’s natural hormones, even though they are synthetic. This, in turn, could alter the body’s endocrine system. According to WebMD, the endocrine system, “includes all the glands in the body that make hormones. These chemical messengers play a key role in making sure your body works the way it should.”
Scientists are still exploring how harmful parabens can be to the endocrine system, although the initial evidence is concerning. For instance, one study found parabens in roughly 99 percent of all cancerous breast tumors.
Toluene Is Frequently Used In Conventional Skincare Products
Toluene is a chemical that should cause alarm. The American Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has even issued a public statement regarding the compound, stating that it can impact your nervous system. The agency says that temporary effects of the chemical include:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Unconsciousness
The agency continues to say that repeated exposure could lead to vision loss, hearing loss, and severe cognitive impairment. There is also reason to believe that toluene exposure could wreak havoc on other organs like your kidneys and liver. Furthermore, toluene could result in congenital disabilities, making conventional skincare products problematic for expecting mothers.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate And Sodium Laureth Sulfate
If you’ve ever used a foaming facewash or other similar product, there’s a good chance that it contained one of these two ingredients. These ingredients are also often found in shampoos and toothpaste. They act as “surfactants,” which lower the surface tension between elements.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the chemicals safe only if they are used briefly and rinsed from the skin. Unfortunately, this is not the case with many skin care products, which customers leave on their skin for extended periods. One safety assessment study hypothesized that continuous skin exposure to the chemicals could result in moderate irritation.
Furthermore, these chemicals produce a byproduct known as nitrosamines. Researchers speculate that up to 90 percent of nitrosamines are carcinogenic. So, the mere presence of sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate could alter your skincare product into something that’s significantly more dangerous for your long-term health.
Fragrances Contain Unknown Ingredients
Another significant danger of conventional skin care products is that their ingredients are often unknown. For instance, many manufacturers product skincare products that smell pleasant. In fact, even skincare products that claim to be “Unscented” contain fragrances of some kind.
However, manufacturers are not required to reveal or list on the label what ingredients they’ve used for fragrances. This means that customers could be applying allergens, irritants, or even carcinogens. Have you ever applied a skincare product, only to find that it made you break out in a rash or hives, even though you weren’t allergic to any of the known ingredients on the label? It could have been because of the fragrance ingredients in the product.
Why Consider Natural Skincare Alternatives
Scientists consider skin an organ, thus making skin the largest organ in our body. Our skin contains pores, which absorbs whatever we place in direct contact. When applying traditional skincare products to your skin, your body absorbs the chemicals contained in these products, which then wreak havoc on your body.
Natural skincare products are much gentler on your skin. They contain ingredients that have come straight from the Earth, meaning they are safe for everyday use. Natural skincare products also cut down on the risk of allergic reactions. While there is still some chance of an allergic reaction to a skincare product that contains essential oil, the chances of this happening are significantly less than when using a skincare product that contains harsh chemicals.
Alternatives To Conventional Skincare Products
Fortunately, companies have started to realize how detrimental the chemicals in conventional skincare products can be and have begun offering natural options. For instance, Ultama Spice offers a range of Liquid Soaps that are free of parabens, SLS, palm and mineral oils and contain no synthetic colors or fragrances. Green Leaf Face Scrub harnesses the power of jackfruit and guava. Jackfruit can help moisturize your skin, while guava can help protect the skin from wrinkles because it is a rich source of:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Antioxidants
There are also natural face serums available that rely on ingredients such as cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and argan oil. Initial research indicates that cocoa butter could prevent premature aging of the skin. Separate studies show that jojoba oil acts as an antioxidant for your skin because of the vitamin E it contains that it will help protect against oxidative stress placed on your skin on a daily basis.
If you’re seeking natural skin care products for laces other than your face, you’ll be delighted to find that body balms are also available. These balms contain coconut oil, beeswax, fennel, peppermint, and a variety of other ingredients. The balms could be useful for increasing blood circulation to vulnerable areas of your skin. The lotions also contain moisturizing elements that can help with areas particularly prone to dryness, such as your:
- Hands
- Elbows
- Feet and Ankles
About Utama Spice
At Utama Spice, we whole-heartedly believe in harnessing the raw power of nature. We believe in the power of nature and the health benefits that pure plant-based products can provide. That’s why we’ve worked for two decades to create 100-percent natural, high-quality products that can improve your life. We invite you to check out our News Section to learn more about the many benefits our products offer.
