Things You'll Need:
- Your favorite skin care products
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Step 1
Look at the order of the listed ingredients. The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act requires ingredients to be named in order or largest concentration to smallest. Often, the first ingredient is water.
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Step 2
Look to see if your product lists an "active ingredient". If a product claims to correct a problem (which many do), it must list this primary therapeutic ingredient. For example, many acne products that claim to clear skin will list Salicylic Acid as the active ingredient. This doesn't necessarily mean this is the highest concentrated ingredient, nor does it mean that the other ingredients are not performing a function.
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Step 3
Know what ingredients to stay away from! Mineral Oil is a known comedogenic that can clog pores. Lanolin is oil extracted from sheep wool, and can cause reactions (especially in eczema sufferers). Fragrance is in many products, but it provides no benefit to skin and can irritate the skin. SD Alcohol dries out the skin, which causes over-production of oil in the long term. Hydroquinone is in many skin lightening products, but is a potential carcinogen and is banned in Europe!
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Step 4
Research ingredients and their function. Try visiting http://www.skincarelogic.com/skin-care-ingredients.htm to check out commonly used ingredients. By understanding what they do, you can get a better idea of which ingredients suit your skin best (and which ones to stay away from)!
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Step 5
Don't be fooled by "natural" and "organic" labels. The only true organic products will have a USDA label on the packaging. There are actually 4 different levels of organic classification. Companies can claim to be "natural" if they contain any amount of ingredients that are derived from plants, minerals or algae (which most products have). The bottom line: read the ingredient list and see if it contains strange chemicals or words you can't pronounce! If so, it may be counteracting your needs for a truly organic product.
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Step 6
Beware of labels that are too good to be true! There is no magic product that will "erase wrinkles" or "eliminate acne"...look for honest skin care companies that will help you maintain your unique skin. Many web sites offer honest reviews of most every skin care line available...do your research before committing to a company!
