The Toxic Skin Care Ingredients You Need to Avoid

You already know that you should be eating healthy food and avoiding the bad stuff, but did you know that your health and beauty products could also be dangerous as well?

Most women (and men) don't pay too much attention to what they put on their faces and bodies. If it gets rid of wrinkles it must be good right? Not necessarily.

Here is a list of ingredients that you should avoid when shopping for your beauty must haves:

Parabens

This chemical preservative has been linked to breast cancer and male reproductive problems. It also has been know to cause allergic reactions in some people. Keep a look out for ingredients with paraben in the name; they often start with butyl-, ethyl- and propyl-.

Petrochemicals

Petroleum based ingredients such as paraffin, mineral oil and isopropyl alcohol can interfere with the skin's natural ability to breathe. They are also known to cause skin irritations and allergies.

DEA, MEA, TEA

Commonly found in body washes, shampoo and soap, diethanolamine (DEA), monoethanolamine (MEA) and triethanolmine (TEA) can affect hormone function in both men and women.

SLS and SLES

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) are great at getting ride of dirt but have been know to form carcinogenic nitrogen compounds when mixed with other common ingredients. Both SLS and to a lesser extent SLES can also irritate the skin.

Propylene Glycol

Usually found in moisturizers and body creams this ingredient can damage your kidney and liver. It has also been known to cause rashes in some people.

Formaldehyde

Used as a preservative, it can cause asthma and migraines. Common formaldehyde ingredients include imidazolidinyl and DMDM hydantion.