What we put on our skin is as important as what we eat. The skin absorbs up to 60% of the chemicals in products and then they come into direct contact with the bloodstream, which can have tremendous health and hormonal impact and consequences. We are not only putting ourselves at risk by using harmful chemicals but the environment as well.  Knowing these unquestionable facts, skincare specialists have compiled a list of the following harmful ingredients and AYAN® is committed to it.

PARABENS

WHAT ARE? Low-cost preservatives to prevent the growth of microbes in cosmetic and personal care products that contain significant amounts of water. The most common used parabens are: methylparaben (E218), ethylparaben (215), propylparaben (E216), butylparaben (E209).

FOUND IN: Lotions, shampoos, conditioners, facial and shower cleansers and scrubs and more.

SIDE-EFFECTS: They are absorbed through the skin and hair and can disrupt the endocrine system, the normal hormone function and affect the whole body.

PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

WHAT ARE? Moisturizing agents to soften the skin and hair.

FOUND IN: Shampoo, conditioner, anti-ageing creams, body lotion, mascaras, lipsticks and more.

SIDE-EFFECTS: They form a water-repellant film, which disrupts the skin’s and hair’s natural immune barrier. The skin and hair lose their ability to breathe and to release toxins. This can promote acne and other skin disorders like eczema, prematurely cell ageing and more.

SYNTHETIC DYES

WHAT ARE? Chemicals additives used to change the color or to give a specific shade.

FOUND IN: Soaps, lotions, shower gels, face creams, shampoos, and more.

SIDE-EFFECTS: They block the skin pores and can lead to acne or greatly increase your risk of sensitivity and irritation.

SILICONES

WHAT ARE? A large class of materials, which give products a silky, spreadable and luxurious texture, because of the full in crevices effect.

FOUND IN: Shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers.

SIDE-EFFECTS: They are water-resistant and are forming a seal over the skin and hair, which the companies used to claim as long-lasting hydration. This barrier can trap dirt, bacteria, sebum, dead skin cells, and more and causes acne or can slow down the production of new cells. Silicones are also difficult to remove.

SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES

WHAT ARE? Synthetic chemicals with fragrance substances indicated under ‘parfum’.

FOUND IN: Deodorants, perfumes, makeup, shampoos, sunscreens, face creams, body and baby care products and more.

SIDE-EFFECTS: Skin sensitivity, rashes, dermatitis, coughing, asthma attacks, and migraine, can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, and other behavioral problems.

PROPYLENE GLYCOL

WHAT IS? It is derived from petroleum and is a viscous, colorless liquid, which is nearly odorless. It is a humectant, which means that it is an ingredient that is added to cosmetics to increase moisture retention in skin and hair. Other uses include skin-conditioning agent, viscosity-decreasing agent, solvent, and fragrance ingredient.

FOUND IN: Facial cleansers, moisturizers, bath soaps, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants

SIDE-EFFECTS: It remains on the surface of the skin after a try to rinse it and thereafter the skin reacts by becoming parched and dry and more moisturizer is needed, which make skin dryer and requiring more moisture, so that a sad cycle starts running. It is also known to cause allergic reactions, hives and eczema.

MINERAL OIL

WHAT IS? Also called liquid petroleum, paraffinum liquidum, paraffin oil and white mineral oil is made from petroleum as a by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. It is cheap, odorless, colorless, lightweight, and inexpensive, doesn’t oxidize and can easily be kept for a long time.

FOUND IN: Personal care products, from baby oil to makeup and from body lotions to cold creams as a hydrating ingredient, to promote skin smoothness and softness.

SIDE-EFFECTS: It creates a barrier over the skin and can affect the skin water balance, the ejection of impurities and can lead to acne.

PEG’s

WHAT ARE? Abbreviation of polyethylene glycol. Polyethylene is the most common form of plastic and when mixed with glycol is widely used in cosmetics as thickener and softener. Other PEGs function is as emulsifiers, which help water-based and oil-based ingredients mix properly and also as an absorption enhancer, which allows both good and bad ingredients to be absorbed faster into deeper parts of the skin.

FOUND IN: Shampoos, deodorants, eye creams, toothpaste, facial cleansers and more.

SIDE-EFFECTS: Can reduce the skin’s moisture levels and speed up skin ageing.

SLES and SLS

WHAT ARE? Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) are caustic chemical detergents and foaming agents.

FOUND IN: Shampoos, body and face wash, shower gels and other foamy products.

SIDE-EFFECTS: They are irritating the skin, eyes and the respiratory tract and also have the ability to easily penetrate the dermal layers and enter the bloodstream.

FORMALDEHYDE

WHAT IS: Colorless, strong-smelling gas used to prevent microbes from growing in water-based products. Producers of skincare products are avoiding the liquid preparations of formaldehyde and they use a class of chemicals that slowly release formaldehyde over the time as they degrade. The most commonly used formaldehyde releasers in the personal care industry are Bronopol, Imidazolidinyl, Urea, Diazolidinyl Urea, DMDM Hydantoin, Quaternium-15

FOUND IN: Hair-smoothing products, baby shampoo, body soap, body wash, color cosmetics and more.

SIDE-EFFECTS: It can be absorbed through the skin and have been linked to cancer and allergic skin reactions.

PHTHALATES

WHAT ARE? They are dibutyl phthalate (DBP) used as a plasticizer in products such as nail polishes, diethyl phthalate (DEP) used as a solvent and fixative in fragrances and dimethyl phthalate (DMP) used in hair sprays to help avoid stiffness by allowing them to form a flexible film on the hair.

FOUND IN: Skincare and personal care products.

SIDE-EFFECTS: They can disturb the endocrine system and have been linked to increased risk of breast cancer.