When good skincare goes bad

28 August, 2010. Tags: Why Natural

Did you ever see a trashy American series with the unnerving title 'When Good Times Go Bad'? If not, a quick Google search will enlighten you. The show focused on the very worst and nastiest home videos showing hapless folk who set out to do something fun and got badly hurt.

Which puts me in mind of... me! OK, so I haven't met with a painful accident. However, I did blunder innocently into a skincare mistake.

There I was, happily entering an exciting new range of natural sunscreens to the Ikigai website, only to discover a hideous ingredient in the small print. Not in the main ingredients list - oh no - in a teeny, weeny disclaimer on the very edge of the label. Curses!

Of course, this means I couldn't add the aforementioned product range to the website. I share this sorry story with you, not so you can console me (although that would be nice!), but to illustrate the point that it doesn't matter how savvy you think you are about skincare, you can always be caught out.

And therein, I suspect, lies the reason why many people prefer not to think about the ingredients of their skincare - it's just too blimmin' difficult. And also, of course, the government will protect us. Won't it??! Well, no, actually, it won't...

The dirty little culprit that caused me to drop my new sunscreen like a hot potato is Diazolidinyl Urea. Not only may this ingredient be derived from animal urine and other body excretions (ew!), it has also been shown in some studies to be a skin irritant and even to cause mutations in lab animals. It could potentially, according to the Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database, be contaminated with formaldehyde.

Helpfully, the sunscreen bottle says 'free of chemical UV absorbers' and 'suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin and children'.

Here are some hints to help you sidestep 'greenwashed' cosmetics.

When it comes to skincare, go with what you know

In general, choose from a list of natural or organic brands you've read about, researched and know you can trust. Do your homework before adding another one to the list. Brands that have stood the test of time, like Weleda, Dr Hauschka, Dr Bronner, Jurlique and the like are a good bet.

Give big-name skincare brands the flick

In general, steer away from big-name, mainstream brands like Clairol, Nivea, Olay, Garnier and the rest. They often contain the very worst ingredients.

All organic certification was not created equal

The Soil Association and Australian Certified Organic are two of the most stringent standards. Other standards may allow products with a lower percentage of organic ingredients to pass muster.

Approach 'natural' skincare brands with trepidation

The cosmetic industry defines 'natural' as anything originally derived from nature. This sounds OK in principle but the process of extracting the finished ingredient from the natural source may involve petrochemicals and alter the original substance beyond recognition. After all, vodka is made from potatoes!

We love Alba Botanica because they are a signatory to The Compact for Safe Cosmetics. When companies sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, they are pledging not only to make safer products, but also to provide greater transparency to consumers about their products. By signing, cosmetics manufacturers pledge that:

1. All cosmetics and personal care products made by the company anywhere in the world meet or exceed the formulation standards and deadlines set by the European Union cosmetics directive to be free of chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects.

2. The company will implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives within three years, and publicly report its progress in meeting these goals.

You can search the companies that have signed up, here.

Read skincare labels!

It goes without saying. Read the label on every new skincare product you purchase and understand what is in it. Have a handful of 'red light' ingredients memorized to help you spot the worst culprits at a glance. Our chemical hit list can help - see below.