What's in your skin care products? Do you know?

How about parabens? Parabens are a preservative used in most skin care and beauty products to give them a longer shelf life. Unfortunately they also mimic estrogen in the body, an increase which has been linked to certain types of cancer, specifically breast. What about fragrances? Added fragrances' formulations by law, are not required to be in the list of ingredients on products. Many of these fragrances are made with ingredients that contain hormone disrupters. Not good. Mineral oil? Mineral oil is an ingredient that has been used in skin care products for quite some time. The problem with mineral oil is that it doesn't penetrate into the skin. Instead of hydrating the skin, it actually dries it out causing redness and irritation. Because the molecular structure of the oil is too large, it can also clog follicles (pores) causing comedones (blackheads) and breakouts.

Our body absorbs these harmful ingredients into the bloodstream causing short term reactions like breakouts, skin rashes and sensitivity, and sometimes even long term issues like acne, eczema and chronic headaches. New links between products and health are being researched every day. The more I learn the more I know that going organic is key.