Top Skincare Ingredients To Avoid in 2020
By: Gabi Skin
Tags: Skin Care Tips, Skincare, Skin Care Products, Skin Treatment

So what’s the problem? As you have no doubt heard over the past years, palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation in some of the world’s most biodiverse forests. Most palm oil is grown and harvested in an unsustainable and destructive manner, killing threatened and endangered species, and wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem, communities, and the climate. There also remains some exploitation of workers and child labor. These are serious issues that the whole palm oil sector needs to step up to address because it doesn’t have to be this way.

The solution is not to prohibit palm oil altogether. We need to create a clear demand for sustainably, ethically produced palm oil. The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil or was formed in 2004 in response to increasing concerns about the impacts palm oil was having on the environment and on society.

The good news here is that we don’t need to avoid palm oil all together, we just need to stay informed of where the palm oil in our products comes from. Several NGOs, including, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, issue guides to help consumers make smart decisions about palm oil. It just requires a little time and research — which is worth every second for products you are eating, bathing in, and putting on your skin!

Parabens Are Your Worst Enemy

Not all beauty products are good for your skin but there are certainly some that are better than others. In a world where we’re increasingly aware of what we eat, it’s no surprise that we’re equally aware of the ingredients in our skincare and what we put on our face.

But which product ingredients are good and which are bad? You don’t need to be a dermatologist to know a top answer to that one. Anyone who’s skincare aware will recognize one of the biggest names on the naughty list: parabens.

When it comes to studying the label of your favorite serum, the names to look out for are butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben — aka the most commonly found parabens.

We can find them in nearly every product from face wash, night cream, makeup, masks, body wash and shampoo-they are everywhere. Parabens can mimic estrogen in the body disrupting our delicate hormonal balance. They’ve been linked to breast cancer, and since they act as a hormone disruptor they can lead to reproductive and fertility issues.

Parabens aren’t just bad for humans, they impact the environment too. ‘A scientific study reported that parabens have been found for the first time in the bodies of marine mammals’, reveals Tom Oliver, Nutritionist & Personal Trainer., ‘Researchers believe that it is likely these parabens come from products we use that are washed into the sewage system and released into the environment.

Silicones Clog Your Skin

Silicones are synthetically made polymers made from silicon and oxygen atoms. Owing to their unique, dry, powdery properties they are the primary ingredient in cosmetic primers and foundations.

Silicones are also used in moisturizers and body butters to reduce the greasy, oily feeling of the products on the skin. Additionally, due to the dry skin feel that silicones offer they are also the primary ingredient in dry body oils. They’re also popular in hair care products too as they possess conditioning and detangling properties, and they add shine.

Mineral vs Chemical Sunscreens

You may have seen ‘mineral’ or ‘physical’ and ‘chemical’ on the labels of your sunscreen, but what’s the difference?

Chemical sunscreens actually absorb the sun’s rays, and turn the rays into heat to release it from the skin. Although it may seem like the easier and more flattering choice for everyday wear (it’s lightweight and there’s less risk of looking like a ghost!) there are more important factors to consider. Chemical sunscreens employ a potent combination of chemicals like oxybenzone, octinoxate (octylmethoxycinnamate), homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, and avobenzone, many of which are endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are scary because they’re most harmful in small doses, as they mimic the hormones that our bodies create daily and can interfere with everything from our reproductive systems to our metabolism. They’re particularly bad for younger people whose systems are rapidly developing. Our advice (along with many experts) is to stick to mineral sunscreens — protect yourself from the sun and harmful chemicals at the same time.

Cleaner, Greener Skincare Goals

Before you buy your next skincare product, make sure you read and understand the label!