Ingredients to avoid in skincare products.

Mineral Oils (Blocks the pores), Harsh Chemicals (Damaging to the body), Propylene Glycols (Better known as "Anti-Freeze"!), Synthetic Alcohols (Damaging and drying to the skin), Ingredients Tested on Animals (Not necessary).

DEA/MEA/TEA:  Known to cause allergic reactions, irritate the eyes and dry the hair and the skin.

Petrolatum:  Also know as liquid Vaseline, paraffinum liquidum and baby oil.  Strips the natural oils from the skin causing chapping, dryness and premature ageing.  Prevents elimination of toxins.

Alcohol or Isopropyl:  A poisonous solvent found in colour rinses, body rubs, hand lotions, after shave lotions and fragrances.  Dries skin and hair, creating cracks and fissures in the skin.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES):  Strong detergent found in shampoos, hair conditioners, toothpastes, body washes, which can cause eye irritation, skin rashes and hair loss.

Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Parabens:  Food grade preservatives used to extend a product's shelf life and inhibit microbial growth.  Considered highly toxic and have been found in cancer tumours.  Can cause rashes and other allergic reactions.

Propylene Glycol:  A wetting agent and solvent used in hair care products, deodorants and after shave.  It is also one of the main ingredients in anti-freeze and brake fluid.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG):  A caustic, used to dissolve grease.  It is found in most skin cleansers as well as in oven cleaners.

Imidazolidinyl Urea:  Formaldehyde forming preservative which can weaken the immune system.

It is worth mentioning that not all chemicals are bad for you as mentioned by one of the UK's most respected cosmetologist's and MD of UK based organic beauty company Essentially Yours.

"Is there such a thing as a  100 % natural product...

Well unless you take a cucumber from the ground and rub it on your face
(not hugely beneficial so don’t waste your cucumber) it’s not going to be 100% natural.
The breaking down of any plant will involve chemical processing so it's about which method is used and what chemicals are used to create the raw material that's then used in the finished product...

Not all chemicals are bad for us...

What a diseased ridden lot we would all be if we didn't kill off harmful bacteria with the relevant chemicals. So using the right ones at just the right levels is vital.

However, in some cosmetic products chemicals are used for the ease of manufacturing not for the benefit of the product. 

We counted  56 ingredients of which about 95% are hyper-chemicals when our equivalent product would have only 9 ingredients and 99.9% of that would be organically derived."
John Hamilton, Cosmetologist.