We use body- and face-care products every day, but for those of us with sensitive skin, reading the labels have been a shopping challenge. These days, to help consumers sort out the ‘unwanted’ ingredients – like parabens – brands have taken to pasting huge ‘NO’ labels on their labels. You’ll be familiar with labels that boast ‘No artificial ingredients’, or ‘No Parabens’. But what else should NOT be in the ingredient list that we should know about?
We all use body care products – most of us probably use more than 10 a day without even realising it. From shampoo to handwash to moisturisers, they most likely contain additives if you bought them from a supermarket.
But what do these inexpensive (and sometimes harmful) ingredients do? Phthalates help nail polish last longer; parabens extend the shelf life of a night cream.
However, after much publicity, ingredients like parabens, sulfates and phthalates are now slowly being eliminated by some companies, as some of them may be hormone disrupters, or linked to cancer or infertility.
Helping you sort out the ingredients
In a market-research survey from Mintel last year, it seems that it’s hard for us regular consumers to tell if products claimed to be “natural” or “organic” are actually true.
To help consumers know what they’re getting into, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database was set up to help consumers identify roughly 60,000 products on a hazard rating on a scale of 1 (good) to 10 (bad).
So if you’re in doubt about your shampoo, just do a search on the ingredient list and you’ll know what it really contains.
