Who’s The Culprit For Your Sensitive Skin?

Shampoo, cosmetics, and colognes are all examples of beauty goods that can help you feel on top of your game. However, they can also irritate the skin and trigger an allergic reaction. According to a dermatology study published in 2010, more than a third of the over 900 study participants reported at least one allergic reaction to cosmetic chemicals.

Everyone uses shampoo and other beauty products. However, very few pay attention to the long list of hidden ingredients listed on the back of the bottle. One of them is “fragrance,” which is one of the most crucial elements to have. The identity of the substances included in it, however, is unknown.

What your skincare brand is hiding from you?

For decades, beauty brands have used attracting phrases to entice customers to buy their products. But they rarely explain the dangers that come with it, such as allergies and sensitive skin. You may not know but there are certain ingredients that your beauty brands use that might not be good for your skin.

These ingredients cause skin irritations and can lead to serious allergic reactions. Simple rashes to full-blown allergic reactions are all possibilities. You can experience symptoms immediately after using something new. Or you may develop issues slowly years after using a product without incident.

5 skincare ingredients that can cause a skin allergy

Here are some of the ingredients that are frequently reported of causing sensitive skin:

#1. Aluminum Compounds

Aluminum compounds are usually found in antiperspirants. If your armpits get red and itchy every time you roll on your antiperspirant, it can be due to the existence of aluminum compounds in it. You could be allergic to it and should be avoiding products that contain high levels of aluminum.

#2. Acids

Any substance meant to slough off your skin cells is bound to cause more harm than good on occasion. For example, Salicylic acid. It’s an oil-soluble beta-hydroxy acid used to treat acne and greasy skin. However, if you use them too much, they can cause skin irritation, dryness, redness, or burning.

#3. Fragrance

According to environmental health specialists at the University of Washington, synthetic fragrances are harmful. These compounds can irritate over 20% of the American population. It can produce skin rashes, headaches, coughing, wheezing, and other respiratory irritations.

Fragrance compounds can also be found in “unscented” products. Since firms utilize special fragrance chemicals to achieve that non-scented effect. They go by the name of making agents. Thus, you may never really find out if your product contains these substances or not unless it is written on the label clearly.

#4. Sulfates

Everything from shampoo and body washes to baby soap contains these sulfates. Detergents like sodium Laureth sulfate and sodium laurel sulfate cause rashes, acne, and eye irritation. Therefore, if you’re suffering from the persistent eye or skin irritation, you might want to avoid them. They’re also quite damaging to your hair and skin.

#5. Essential Oils

Keep in mind that natural might not be always good for your skin. Essential oils are natural. However, they can cause discomfort in some people, especially in the form of rashes. Some shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, and face creams contain them.

What’s the solution?

The only solution to protect your skin is to know what doesn’t suit you and to avoid using them. Therefore, it’s really important that your brand doesn’t hide anything about the ingredients used in the product. That being said, here’s the news that can help you to worry less.

According to the EWG, Unilever has announced a transparency initiative. FYI, Unilever owns TRESemme, Dove, Suave, Caress, Vaseline, and other trustworthy beauty brands. And now, it has taken a revolutionary step for the good of its customers. The initiative would allow buyers to see the fragrance compounds in their personal care products. Thus, one would have easy access to the list of ingredients used in their product. As a result, they would be able to avoid if found something particularly unhealthy for their skin.

A mobile app that tells you what’s in your beauty product

A major step that satisfies FDA criteria is taken after partnering with SmartLabel. It’s a mobile application that will provide a complete list of chemicals found in the fragrance compounds of the beauty product. Through this, the consumers will be able to identify which goods are causing allergies or sensitive skin.

Ken Cook, president and co-founder of Environmental Working Group, in an interview with Sustainable Brands, claims Unilever’s this exceptional decision was a game-changer in delivering full transparency in the beauty product business. Moreover, this will compel the rest of the market to follow suit. According to him, it won’t happen quickly. However, the courageous choice will assist consumers in providing complete information about scent chemicals.

Everyone, without a doubt, wishes to see a favorable response from the entire sector to Unilever’s initiative. And if customers are unhappy with the ingredients in beauty products owing to allergies or other issues, sales are likely to decline.