Finding the best beauty products is a challenge. What works for one person doesn’t always help another. Add to that issue that many beauty products you find in the grocery stores contain ingredients that are harmful to the earth and to humans. When you’re trying to be more eco-friendly and you want to make a positive impact on the environment, think about how to choose ingredients in the products that make a difference.
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Collagen
Science has shown that collagen from animal sources has many incredible health benefits. If you want your skin, hair, and nails to be stronger and healthier, adding collagen via a supplement or in your skincare creams can make a world of difference. Not only that, but it doesn’t cause damage to the environment. This is great news. It’s said that if it’s an ingredient you can eat, then it’s also probably good for your skin.
Coconut Oil
Want less redness and swelling in your skin? Using products that contain coconut oil can help. Science and many consumer testing panels have shown that these products help to improve skin tone and soothe sore spots. Some people with chronic skin conditions may also benefit from slight antimicrobial properties.
Beeswax
Products that contain beeswax help to protect your skin from environmental damage. It can also aid in keeping your skin clean. Beeswax is a natural product made by bees. When it’s used in creams, lotions, and makeup products, it can even help prevent acne breakouts, relieve itching, and reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
Green Tea
Most people only think about the health benefits of drinking green tea, but they don’t realize that it can also have incredible effects when it’s used in beauty care products. It is a natural antioxidant. It helps reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles on the skin, and it also can help treat acne breakouts. People love that these leaves of the tea can be easily added to many different beauty products. Even small amounts make a big difference. And because it’s naturally non-toxic, it’s also good for the earth.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is best known as a natural remedy for acne. More and more beauty products are adding this ingredient in tiny amounts because it also helps fight rashes caused by other fungi and bacteria. Using tea tree oil in small amounts in face washes and other products can help ward off major acne breakouts.
5 Beauty Product Ingredients to Avoid
Things that are toxic for you are also hard on the environment. Creating lotions, creams, shampoos, conditioners, and makeup that contain these harmful ingredients can impact your health. When they get into the water supply, they also damage animal and plant life.
BHA
Butylated Hydroxyanisole is otherwise known as BHA. It’s an ingredient found in mostly eyeshadows and lipsticks and is listed as a carcinogenic substance. These are chemicals that have been found to cause cancer. Additionally, it can impact hormones because it is an endocrine disruptor.
Formaldehyde
This is used primarily as a preservative in cosmetics. It can also become more potent if exposed to heat. Even in concentrations as low as 1%, formaldehyde can lead to cancer. In the environment, this is also toxic to plants and animals.
Phenoxyethanol
If you read the list of ingredients of any of your body and beauty care items, you are likely to find this in at least one of them. It’s a preservative that’s created through a chemical reaction between phenol and ethylene oxide. In the process of this reaction, not all of the original components are used up and they can still be present in your products. It’s a known carcinogen and can cause other health problems.
Triclosan
You thought your hand sanitizer was good for you and the environment, but unfortunately, this ingredient is a pesticide. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties, but its presence can not only harm the environment by killing off good bacteria, but it can also lead to thyroid dysfunction.
Phthalates
There are several specific ingredients that are considered phthalates. It’s a banned ingredient in Europe because it has the ability to not only cause hormonal issues, but it can also cause birth defects. This is also true of animals in the wild. If too many phthalates end up in the water supply, it can have a damaging effect on the ecology of the local ecosystem.
