Cosmetic Beauty

Understand the makeup of cosmetics

In the previous article we touched on healthy beauty, reading the label of you cosmetic products, and understanding the ingredients of your products. That was just the beginning and today we are going to look into four main categories of harmful ingredients (overuse and/or not using in the correct way or correct amounts).

Four Main Ingredients

• Surfactants

• Conditioning Polymers

• Preservatives

• Fragrances

Surfactants

Surfactants are found in products used for washing (cleansing and foaming). They break up oily solvents and other products so that they can be washed away with water.

In addition, they can be combined to thicken products, allowing for them to spread evenly.

Common Products

· Foundation

· Shower Gel

· Shampoo

· Body Lotion

Conditioning Polymers

Conditioning polymers retain moisture on the skin or in hair.

Glycerin is a natural compound of vegetable oil and animal fat. In the cosmetic industry they make glycerin synthetically in which it is the oldest, cheapest, and sadly most popular conditioning polymer.

A major importance of conditioning polymers is that it is used in hair products to attract water and soften hair while swelling hair shaft.

With other uses it keeps products from drying out, stabilizes fragrances allowing for scents to kept, and adds a feeling of smooth and slick.

Preservatives

Preservatives are additives used to slow bacterial growth and prolong a product's shelf life. It also helps prevent products from causing infections on skin or eyes.

Keep a look out for self-preserving cosmetics using planet oils or extracts from natural preservatives. These can irritate skin or cause allergic reactions; also, many have strong odors unpleasant.

Fragrances

Sadly these are some of the most harmful in cosmetic products and often contain chemicals that cause (allergic reaction).