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Learn the Ingredients

What's Lurking in Your Products is Scarier Than A Horror Movie.

To make reading an ingredient label easier, here is a list of the yucky chemicals that sneak their way into personal care products.

Disclaimer: While there are many ingredients on this list that cause harm to human health, some are ingredients that are considered to be "non-toxic" but are labeled as strong allergens. While not everyone may experience a reaction (or know that they are experiencing a reaction), I still include an array of common & harmful allergens on this list to accommodate the majority. When researching any of these ingredients, it is inevitable that there will be arguments for both the safety and the dangers of each of them. My three years of research has led me to form strong opinions based on what I perceive as truth and real science from trusted professionals and experts. I invite everyone to research these ingredients for themselves and form their own conclusions.

***This list may be altered at any time with changes/additions due to the rapidly changing nature and testing/researching of personal care product ingredients.
The "No, Just No" List
  1. Acetone
  2. Acrylates 
  3. Alcohol Denat. 
  4. ALS (Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate)
  5. Aluminum Chlorohydrate 
  6. Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrexgly
  7. Ammonium Alum
  8. Animal-Derived Ingredients (Except for Honey and Beeswax)
  9. Avobenzone 
  10. Benzyl Benzoate
  11. Bronopol 
  12. Butylcarbamate 
  13. Butylated Hydoxytoulene (BHT)
  14. Butylated Hydroyanisol (BHA)
  15. Butylene Glycol
  16. Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate 
  17. Camphor (synthetic)
  18. Chlorphenesin 
  19. Coal Tar
  20. Ceteareths (any number) 
  21. DEAs (Cocamide DEA, Lauramide DEA, Dietjanolamine DEA)
  22. Dihydroxyacetone
  23. Diethanolamine
  24. Dimethylamine 
  25. DMDM Hydantion 
  26. Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate 
  27. Ethanol
  28. Ethoxylated Compounds
  29. FD + C Dyes 
  30. Fluoride (all types)
  31. Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Releasers 
  32. Fragrance (when it's synthetic (parfum))
  33. GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)
  34. Homosalate 
  35. ​Hydroquinone 
  36. Iodopropunyl Butlcarbamate 
  37. Isopropyl Alcohol 
  38. Methylisothiazinone 
  39. Methylchloroisothiazolinone 
  40. Monoethanolamine (MEA)
  41. Nano Particles
  42. Octinoxate 
  43. Octocrylene 
  44. Oxybenzone
  45. PABA Esters (Octyl Dimethyl)
  46. Para Amino Benzoic Acid (PABA)
  47. Parabens (Ethyl, Methyl, Propyl, Butyl, Isobutyl, Benzyl)
  48. PEGs (Polyethylene Glycol) - any number
  49. Petroleum Derived Ingredients (Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Paraffin)
  50. Phenoxyethanol
  51. Phthalates (Dibutyl - DBP, Dimethyl - DMP, Diethyl - DEP)
  52. Polyethylene Terephthalate 
  53. Polysorbates - any number
  54. Polyurethane 
  55. Potassium Alum
  56. P-Phenylendiamine (PPD)
  57. Propylene Glycol
  58. PVP/VA Copolymer
  59. Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (Benzalkonium Chloride, Benzethonium Chloride, Quaternium-15)
  60. Retinol 
  61. Silicones (Silicone, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Copolyol, Cyclomethicone (Cyclopentasiloxane), Amodimethicone)
  62. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
  63. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
  64. Toulene
  65. Triclosan 
  66. Triphenyl Phosphate
  67. Treithanolamine TEA
  68. Ureas (Diazolidinyl, Imidazolidinyl)
The "They Won't Kill You, But You Should Still Try to Avoid Them" List
  1. 1,2 Hexanediol 
  2. Benzyl Alcohol (I only recommend avoiding this is you have extremely sensitive skin)
  3. Bismuth Oxychloride 
  4. Carmine 
  5. Cocamidopropyl Betaine​
  6. Dimethyl MEA (DMAE)
  7. EDTAs (Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA)
  8. Hexylene Glycol
  9. Myristates (only when used on sensitive skin)
  10. ​Polyisobutene 
  11. Polyquaterniums (I stay away from all numbers (-7, -15, etc) but some are worse than others)
  12. Retinyl Palmitate (just when it's in sunscreen)
  13. Sodium Benzoate (only when used in a product that also contains Vitamin C)
  14. Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (I only recommend avoiding this is you're a person with extreme allergies)
  15. Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (also categorized as a controversial ingredient)
  16. Sodium Methyl Isethionate (I only recommend avoiding this is you're a person with extreme allergies)
  17. Stearalkonium Chloride 
  18. Non-Vegetable Derived Stearates 
  19. Vegetable Emulsifying Wax

 
Ingredients Surrounded by Some Controversy - I may still recommend products with these ingredients in them if I've found that they are safe.
  1. Benzophenone-1*
  2. Japanese Honeysuckle Extract
  3. Potassium Sorbate
  4. Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer (only recommend it in nailcare products)

*A note on Benzophenone-1: this has been a very controversial ingredient, mainly in nail polish. While there are studies on other derivatives of Benzophenone, like Oxybenzone, this specific derivative lacks much if any evidence linking it to toxicity. However, it is still important to keep in mind that this ingredient may be harmful if used in high concentrations/daily. While I still recommend nail polish with the ingredient on my nailcare page (not in skincare because it would have a higher chance of having a toxic effect), I would still recommend not using products with this ingredient all of the time, and instead use other products without the ingredient in addition to products with it to reduce any chance of high toxicity. As always, this may change with new information and studies, so stay tuned. 
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