Beauty posts
The ingredients to avoid in your cleansers
By now, you know that there are ingredients in your beauty products that are best avoided... B,but what about your cleanser ? Used every day, its formulation deserves just as much scrutiny. But don 't panic: certain active ingredients, even synthetic ones, can also have their place in your bottles. So let's take a look at what's what, to help you become a true compounding pro!
What ingredients should I avoid in my cleanser?
1. The SLS
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate have a very bad reputation. They are surfactants, which means that they make a product foam and allow it to emulsify fatty substances (impurities, sebum...) with water and therefore to clean. The problem is that they are potentially powerful foaming agents when used in high doses and in isolation... In this case, we do not recommend them for sensitive skin, which can become irritated over time. The exception that proves the rule? We have this ingredient in 2 of our cleansers: Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel and Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser. But don't panic, here the softening agents are numerous and the percentage of sulfates is cleverly micro-dosed to avoid irritating the skin.
2. The soap
Are you puzzled by the words "soap-free soap" on some brands' products? Here's a quick explanation (to shine on your best friend)... Your skin is covered by a famous hydrolipidic film. This protective barrier has an acidic pH of 5.5 on average. Soap, on the other hand, has a basic pH. Soap destroys the protective film, and your skin has to rebuild its barrier in record time. In the long run, your skin becomes totally unbalanced and taut, It's also more sensitive to external aggressions. In short, for the hands, it's not dramatic. But for the face, it's more of a problem, whatever our skin type.
One will thus prefer to opt for a soft washing base derived from the sugar. We explain everything in a few paragraphs!
3. The parabens
This message, we now see it almost everywhere: "without paraben". This is reassuring, but what exactly are parabens? Parabens are a family of preservatives used in cosmetology to protect formulas containing a lot of water from microbial contamination. In 2004, they were put on the sidelines. The reason: a study published by Dr. Darbre who had analyzed women's breast tumors and found parabens. He had concluded that they favored the appearance of breast cancer, through the application of deodorants. Later, this study was broken, because it was not scientifically valid. Parabens have since been the subject of numerous studies which have shown that short-chain parabens such as methylparaben and ethylparaben are safe, well tolerated and not very allergenic .
On the other hand, the long chain parabens have been banned (for example Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Phenylparaben, Benzylparaben and Pentylparaben). For this family of parabens, the main reproach relates to their too great resemblance with the estrogens.
In conclusion, parabens were quickly sidelined and replaced by other options.
* What about phenoxyethanol? At Oh My Cream, we do not systematically ban it. This synthetic preservative, if used below 1%, is not considered dangerous by the European Commission. Moreover, in a cleanser, it will be rinsed off and its contact with the skin is therefore limited. Of course, if you want an alternative, we have many other possible options :-)
What do we think about fragrance in cleansers?
If it's there and since it's rinsed off, we're sure there's nothing to worry about. We just adviseavoiding itif your skin is hyper-reactive or momentarily experiencing an allergic reaction.
Which ingredients should I favor in my cleanser?
1. Vegetable oils
Nothing beats cleansing with vegetable oils as a base. These can be found in a cleansing oil but also in cleansing milks and certain gels. Highly respectful of the skin's barrier, but formidable when it comes to eliminating impurities, a vegetable oil encapsulates all greasy substances (make-up and excess sebum), which are then rinsed away. Not to be confused with mineral oils, which should be avoided at all costs on blemish-prone skin, as they are film-forming. When applied to the epidermis, they clog pores. On the other hand, for dry or sensitive skin that has never had a pimple, they have the advantage of limiting dehydration and sensitivity during the cleansing phase.
2. Cleansing bases derived from sugar
They replace synthetic surfactants such as sulfates. Their names on your bottles make you think of unreassuring active ingredients... And yet! Sucrose Cocoate or Babassuamidopropyl Betaine for example, are safe and of natural origin. Its washing bases take care of all the types of skins and preserve in particular from the dehydration.
3. ... And the active ingredients
Yes, cleansing must also be thought of as a treatment phase in its own right. We can therefore rely on soothing active ingredients such as oatmeal (avena sativa kernel) if we have sensitive skin, tea tree if we have pimples, or sweet almond and shea butter for dry and dehydrated skin (prunus amygdalus and shea butter). There are even anti-aging active ingredients in cleansers, such as vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate) or probiotics, under the name of lactobacillus.
Choose from our cult cleansers!
- I have normal skin : Cleansing Gel Gel Cleansing Susanne Kaufmann
- I have blemish-prone skin Oh My Cream Skincare Cleansing Gel
- I have sensitive skin Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Gel Ren Skincare
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I have dry or dehydrated skin Oh My Cream Skincare Cleansing Emulsion
Susanne Kaufmann
Purifying Cleansing Gel Gel Nettoyant Purifiant
Oh My Cream Skincare
Gelée Nettoyante
Ren Clean Skincare
Evercalm Gel Nettoyant Doux
Oh My Cream Skincare
Emulsion Nettoyante
Do you still have questions about certain assets? Don't hesitate to leave us a note at consultation@ohmycream.com ! And to make your skin diagnosis online, it's right here !
