Harmful Chemicals in Beauty Products
We use beauty products to look better, but unfortunately sometimes the short-term look is not worth the long-term damage that such products can do to our skin. All beauty products are not created equal, and some contain ingredients that only serve to accelerate the aging process, or result in irreversible skin damage after repeated exposure. Read labels on your beauty products, and you might want to consider replacing any that contain some of the following harmful chemicals. Does this Spark an idea?
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Mineral Oil
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Mineral oil, like petroleum, is a crude oil product that coats the skin and clogs the pores. Skin coated by mineral oil simply cannot breathe, and cannot do its job in ridding the body of toxins.
AHA
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Short for Alpha-Hydroxy Acids, AHA is often found in cleansers and moisturizers. It is a powerful abrasive that can damage the outer layer of the skin, making the skin more vulnerable to UV rays by up to 50 percent.
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SLS
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Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, abbreviated as SLS, is a common detergent found in everything from toothpastes to makeup. It is so powerful it is also found in automobile de-greasing solutions and commercial floor cleaners. This chemical can badly dry out skin, and becomes a carcinogen when mixed with some other common beauty product ingredients.
Formalin
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Formalin is basically formaldehyde, the same chemical used to preserve dead bodies. Fumes from formalin have been linked to diseases such as asthma and cancer. It is also a skin irritant and can promote skin allergy sensitivity.
Laquer
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Often found in mascaras to aid in making eyelashes appear longer and thicker, this chemical can eventually result in the thinning or loss of eye lashes.
Collagen
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While your body's natural collagen is good for you, rubbing animal-derived collagen onto your skin will no more moisturize it than rubbing the food on your stomach will nourish you. Like mineral oil, it clogs pores.
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