Doesn’t matter if you're spending couple quid for your face cream or you shop in High End Stores, you wonder what’s really in a jar? 

Reading ingredients can help quite useful and you should know ‘they do not write information how it was derived and from Super Plant or Cheap Petrol.

But some chemicals you can’t really hide behind looooong complicated names.

So, here is four main Nasty Ingredients that cosmetic brands use the most.

#1

SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulphate or Lauryl Sulphate)

Cosmetic products: shampoo (you’d be straggling to find shampoo without it), facial cleansers, shower and bath, anything that ‘makes foam’. The way it cleanse it oxidizes skin and hair leaving residue.

Usually, SLS extracted from Coconut, so brands have a right to say about Natural Content on the label.

What may cause: Long term use of shampoo with SLS can irritate skin and hair and creates a coating that hard to wash out. Can stings eyes, dandruff and hair loss and accumulates in an organism.

What’s right: SLS free products: Macadamia Natural Oil Shampoo, Giovanni All Hair Products, Erayba Hydra-Ker Shampoo,

"I always used mass market shampoo. After a while I started notice hair loss.  I didn’t dye my hair and always used conditioners, hair masks and leave to dry it naturally.

 I started searching on internet and I found one article where scientists say that SLS may cause irritation, dandruff and even hair loss!  I ran to my beauty mass market shop and didn’t find any shampoo without SLS! I finally found one in pharmacy. I swapped it.

My hair was slowly getting use to new shampoo. It became clean and healthy like never before. After couple of months hair loss absolutely gone and my hair back to normal! From now on I shop only for SLS-free products.

It might be an individual reaction, but think if you are using SLS for years?.."

#2

Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil)

Cosmetic products: Moisturizer, creams, body lotions, lip balms, hands creams.

What may cause: As ideal lubricant locks moisture and clogs pores making skin  unbreathable and in this condition skin can be irritated, prone to eczema, dry out, otherwise the feeling ‘on the surface’ is really smooth.

What’s right: Aloe Vera Juice, Jojoba Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter are plenty not-so-expensive ingredients that will give a real benefit to your skin!

People who has eczema can’t use even natural based products and use Prescription Only products.

#3

Silicones (Dimethiconol,Silica)

Cosmetic products: Make Up Base & Primers, Foundation, Wrinkle Fillers and even some skincare products.

What may cause: Same as Mineral Oil or Paraffinum Liquidum lubricates and make skin’s surface plumped and smooth but gives for skin nothing.

What’s right? Silicones make skin immediately plumped and wrinkle-free.

To get the same effect helps Oat Sugars in Clarins Extra Firming Botanical Serum, Plant Proteins (Rice Protein/Soy Bean Protein) that gives smooth finish for skin.

#4

Preservatives (Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Chlorphenesin, )

Cosmetic products: All of them.

What May Cause: Skin Irritation, Skin problems (Rosacea, Acne) and even Cancer in some cases as most Preservatives accumulates in organism. All Preservatives has a toxic score and level of safety that you can easily search online.

What’s right? Citric Acid or even usual Table salt (NaCl) can be perfect natural preservative.  Widely used to preserve antioxidants: Vitamin E, some plant extracts (Rosemary, Grapefruit, Grapefruit).

Potassium sorbate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C)is a preservative widely used as in foods as in cosmetics.