Any skincare junkie will tell you that not all skincare ingredients are created equally. Some easily achieve holy grail status as soon as it comes into contact with your skin, while others are a bit more difficult to trust because of questionable side effects told through horror stories online.
You owe it to your skin to be more discerning about the products that you buy. It’s crucial that you do your due diligence by researching which skincare ingredients are friendly to the skin, and which ones will most likely break you out—or worse, cause health issues down the line.
Don’t worry if this sounds intimidating, Venofye is here to help! Read on to learn more about five of the most controversial skincare ingredients in the industry.
Why You Should Always Do Your Research on Skincare Ingredients
It’s important to know what’s inside every product you put on your skin for safety reasons. While it’s foolish to simply categorize ingredients into good and bad, it’s a bright idea to be well-aware of their reputation.
Here at Venofye, we try to make our ingredient choices as clear and transparent as possible. Unfortunately, not every brand does this, which is why a little investigating on your part will never go amiss.
Identifying the Best Ingredients for Your Skin Type
Each skin type is different, so the way they react to certain ingredients will also be poles apart. What’s important is that you know what’s best for you, what your skin responds to best, and what is likely to cause irritation and breakouts.
Here’s a quick lowdown on what your skin might and might not like, depending on its condition:
Dry Skin
Dry skin loves moisture, so creams and serums are where it’s at. Replenish hydration in the skin with humectants like aloe and hyaluronic acid. And to seal all that moisture in, look for emollient formulations that contain argan oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, and other rich ingredients. The Beehive Silk Cream from Venofye is a great choice!
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is generally better off with products that have minimal ingredients. Having fewer unnecessary ingredients lowers the chances of applying something your skin will hate. It will also respond well to ingredients that soothe the feel of the skinn, like green tea and allantoin, which you’ll find in the Venofye Royal Jelly Bee Eye Firming Cream.
Oily Skin
If you have oily skin, you’ll love ingredients like salicylic acid and tea tree oil. Make sure you get non-comedogenic products that won’t clog your pores. You’ll be wise to avoid fatty, too-rich oils and potentially irritating fragrances to prevent acne breakouts.
The Lowdown on 5 of the Most Controversial Skincare Ingredients
There are quite a few ingredients that can put any skin type at risk — those that are too irritating, stripping, and even post health risks. Many of them spark controversy because of this, but we picked out five of the most popular ones that come up in debates among skincare lovers.
Could these ingredients be harmful to you, or is your skin resilient enough to withstand what makes them a bit controversial and worrisome? Check them out and decide for yourself.
Parabens
To make sure that your moisturizers and masks don’t see any bacteria growth, manufacturers lace them with preservatives. That’s where parabens come in. Parabens extend the shelf life of your products to keep them fresh and clean for years.
Sounds good, right? Well, not exactly. Parabens have been linked to serious medical conditions in women, such as breast cancer and an overproduction of the estrogen hormone, creating an imbalance in your body.
It’s not yet clearly understood why parabens pose such hazardous risks, especially since the body simply flushes out parabens. But when it comes to health, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
As you browse the products on the Venofye website, you’ll notice that every single one of them is paraben-free.
If this is your first Venofye purchase, a great product to start off with is the Blossom Bee Day Moisturizer; a fuss-free yet opulent daily moisturizer, without a trace of parabens. This moisturizer is infused with shea butter to make your skin look plump and supple. It also minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, aging you back some years. The best part is, it’s completely devoid of dreaded parabens, just like all other Venofye products.
Sulfates
This cleansing agent is usually found in facial cleansers, shower gels, shampoos, and more. It’s a surfactant—something that cuts through grime and impurities to give your skin a good, thorough scrub.
Sulfates are responsible for giving your cleansing products that satisfyingly rich and foamy lather under running water. However, they can be super harsh since their soapiness can strip the skin of moisture.
They break down the lipids that protect and provide natural moisture to your skin, washing it squeaky clean and dry instead. Sulfates also leave your skin feeling too tight, like it hurts to move your facial features after cleansing your face. This stresses your skin out and leaves it in a state of dehydration.
Sulfates are also irritating to the eyes because of their bleaching power (that’s why most tear-free baby shampoos pride themselves on being sulfate-free).
What’s even more alarming is that when sulfates are combined with some chemicals, they can form carcinogens, which can be detrimental to your health.
Luckily, there are healthier, more natural surfactants out there, like the coconut-derived coco glucoside. If you have super sensitive skin, you may fare better with cleansers infused with this instead of harsh, stripping sulfates.
If you’re looking for a sulfate-free cleanser, check out the Venofye Queen Bee Clarifying Cream Cleanser.
Hydroquinone
Next, we have an ingredient that’s not exactly on everyone’s radar. Hydroquinone is known as a lightening ingredient that impedes melanin production in the skin. It’s commonly used in products geared towards those who suffer from freckles, age spots, and hyperpigmentation.
It’s problematic as it is because hyperpigmentation can still rebound when exposed to sunlight even after using a hydroquinone serum, so it’s more of a band-aid solution than anything else.
It also has alarming side effects, like a burning sensation or allergic reaction, especially if the concentration is too high, rendering it more irritating than helpful.
When used for years, hydroquinone can also be the culprit of ochronosis, a skin condition that leads to severe acne scarring and coalescing lesions and papules on the skin.
Hydroquinone is also believed to contain mercury, which is poisonous and can have irreversible effects on your health. It can deal damage to your kidneys and entire nervous system—a huge price to pay just for a lighter complexion. It’s no wonder hydroquinone is banned in many countries.
Fortunately, there are plenty of safer alternatives. Kojic acid is known to be very effective at lightening the look of dark spots, especially when combined with vitamin C, such as in the Venofye Orchard Bee Dark Spot Solution.
Fragrance
Many luxurious skincare brands use scents that range from delicious to sultry in their products. This provides a relaxing, sensorial experience to the user’s skincare regimen. So much so that people forget that fragrance is mostly synthetic and basically unnecessary in skincare.
Artificial fragrances can be very irritating to some people. It can cause skin allergies and even sinus irritation if you have a delicate nose. That’s why fragrance-infused skincare products are generally not recommended for those with sensitive skin conditions, like psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema.
When your skin reacts negatively to fragrance, it can cause pimples, itchiness, and redness due to the inflammation. You’ll also have to deal with scarring after your breakouts simmer down, so it’s never worth it if you know your skin isn’t exactly BFFs with synthetic fragrance.
If you have extremely sensitive skin, you may want to look into fragrance-free skincare. You might miss out on the sensory aspect of your regimen, but it’s well worth it for keeping your complexion in check.
Essential Oils
Aromatherapy is huge in the realm of meditation and self-care, but that’s not the only world essential oils have a place. These potent botanical extracts are also popular skincare ingredients.
They’re seen as a more natural fragrance that have the potential to be less irritating than synthetic fragrance. They smell amazing and are super calming, so they help mask the chemical-like stench of the other ingredients in your products.
Aside from their aroma, many essential oils offer more practical, healing benefits to the skin. Tea tree oil helps purify and soothe acne, while rosemary oil is known to cleanse hair follicles and even promote thick, healthy hair growth.
But while they’ve captured the hearts of many, are they safe for use on our skin?
Although many oils have antibacterial and healing properties, some essential oils are so strong and concentrated that they can cause chemical burns thanks to intense phototoxicity, also known as exposure to the sun. These oils include citrusy botanicals, like the oils found in lime and orange.
Because of this, essential oils are better for the skin when they’re diluted in a carrier oil like rosehip, argan, and coconut oil. The less potent your essential oil, the smaller the risk of irritating your skin.
One of the most popular essential oils that are a fan-favorite among aromatherapy and beauty enthusiasts alike is lavender oil. It helps soothe the feel of the skin and even reduce the appearance of aging.
A great way to experience the powers of lavender oil is through Venofye’s Queen Bee Neck and Chest Mask, another product that doesn’t rely on parabens for preservation.
This mask targets the areas of your skin that you can sometimes forget to pamper—your neck and decolletage. It is infused with lavender oil, along with bee venom, collagen, and aloe. These hydrate the skin and boost the look of elasticity, bringing back a firm feeling to the skin.
The Emerging Trend of Clean, Effective Skincare with Natural Ingredients
Clean and green beauty is a trend that you see everywhere, whether it’s on social media or your nearest skincare store.
In recent years, there has been a ton of backlash against big skincare manufacturers that push out products with controversial ingredients. Consequently, the preference for clean beauty that uses safe and natural ingredients is more prevalent than ever.
The trend is a result of young people learning more about which ingredients can be dangerous for the skin, thanks to their access to the internet. There’s been a more significant appreciation for botanical ingredients and skincare products that aren’t filled to the brim with chemicals.
Is the fear of chemicals in skincare formulations valid? Maybe not. Each chemical and compound has its own role to play in skincare. You just have to find the best formulation that lets it shine through and make sure that it’s right for your skin type.
But it’s also essential to look for clean, natural ingredients that will do wonders for your skin. Brands like Venofye make it easy to do so.
Venofye advocates for skincare with only the best, most high-quality ingredients in safe, thoughtful formulations. Our products are riddled with gorgeous natural ingredients, with the intriguing bee venom as our star ingredient.
The best part about Venofye products is that all of them are paraben-free. It’s really a brand that goes out of its way to give you only the best, without the harmful ingredients that can do your skin (and overall health) wrong.
Conclusion
Skincare is different for everybody. What works for your dry skin might not deliver the same results to someone with oily skin. A lot of it comes down to how your skin will likely react, but it also matters what kind of experience you want to get out of your routine.
If you live a more organic, natural lifestyle, you can never go wrong with skincare infused with botanicals. And if it’s an opulent, sensorial experience you’re craving, there’s nothing stopping you from going for products with fragrance.
But there are other ingredients that are generally hazardous for pretty much everyone, like parabens. That’s what brands like Venofye are for!
The important thing is to know what you’re putting on your skin, understand what the risks are, and find safer alternatives if things seem sketchy. Be more discerning with your products, and you’ll enjoy skin that glows.
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