Most of us use at least 3 types of skincare products each day, twice daily, and it is beneficial to know what ingredients to skip for the good of our health when you are buying skincare products. Some ingredients may be subjected to a bad reputation when they do not cause harm to our health. With the sometimes conflicting articles, it is no wonder you are often left confused as to what to use and what not to.

Read on for the three most common ingredients to avoid and what to use instead.

Ingredient #1: Mineral Oil

Mineral oil is a petrochemical that is often found in skincare labels as paraffinum liquidum. While mineral oil is not toxic to your health, it does not “nourish” the skin the way plant oils do. There are no benefits to your skin except to provide an occlusive cover and ‘lock in’ moisture. The problem with the unnatural occlusive-ness that mineral oil is your skin tends to become more dehydrated on the surface and leads to an even oilier skin as your skin produces more oil to prevent further dehydration.

Natural alternatives: Olive oil and shea butter are natural plant oils with larger molecules that do not penetrate the skin easily and replicates the moisturizing intent of mineral oil. These oils do not “suffocate” your skin and have other added benefits such as vitamins, anti-inflammatory effects and healing properties that mineral oil does not provide. Moisturisers we carry that contain shea butter include IOMA Generous Night Cream, IOMA Anti-wrinkle Mask, bSoul Hydra Comfort Cream and bSoul Nutri-comfort Cream.

Ingredient #2: Silicones

Silicones are commonly found in skincare as dimethicone, siloxanes, cyclopentasiloxanes or with names ending with -one or -ane. Silicones are often used to create a smooth texture to the skincare product, form a water-resistant film on the skin, and a temporary silky finish on your skin. They are also used as emollients, to provide a protective layer to the skin. One of the problems silicones can cause is they can potentially build up in the pores of your skin and clogging them if you do not cleanse your skin properly, leaving smaller sized silicones in your pores. Some silicones such as cyclotetrasiloxane are toxic to human reproduction systems and can cause damage to the environment in the long term.

Natural alternatives: Technology has allowed many next-generation alternatives for silicones to be created for use in skincare products and reduces your need to use silicones in your skincare. These alternative solutions include Vegeline and BambooSilk, which is found in bSoul Hydra Age Rich.

Ingredient #3: Parabens

Parabens are preservatives that are added to skincare products for their antimicrobial properties. They are controversial as they have been linked to breast cancer and because of the health risks, the European Union (EU) has banned five types of parabens from skincare. They are isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, phenylparaben, benzylparaben, and pentylparaben.

Natural alternatives: A skincare product needs to contain preservatives to have a longer, more practical shelf life, a product that is full of bacteria is definitely unsafe for use! There are many alternatives to parabens these days and it includes phenoxyethanol and sodium benzoate. We do not carry any products with parabens.