Things you want to look out for
PARABENS
Parabens are a whole family of chemicals (methylparabens, propylparabens, butylparabens, and ethylparabens) that help preserve shelf-life of products. When going through my own products, parabens were the most common offender. I found them in nearly every product from face wash, night cream, makeup, masks, body wash and shampoo—they were everywhere. Parabens can mimic estrogen in the body disrupting our delicate hormonal balance. They’ve been linked to breast cancer, and since they act as a hormone disruptor they can lead to reproductive and fertility issues.
PHTHALATES
Phthalates group of chemicals used to soften and increase the flexibility of plastics in cosmetics. This helps products stick to our skin. Phthalates can be extremely dangerous to children, but it’s best to avoid them all together as they can be serious endocrine disruptors and even cause birth defects. Congress has actually banned several types of phthalates already from children’s products. SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE SLS and SLES are known to cause skin irritation and trigger different allergies.
FRAGRANCE
Fragrance doesn’t sound so scary, but “fragrance” is considered a trade secret which means that companies don’t have disclose what ingredients are inside. Often, the ingredients include tons of chemicals that can cause allergies, hormone disruption and lead to bigger health problems reproductive issues and infertility.
FORMALDEHYDE
Yes, the stuff we used in high school biology to preserve dead animals. I was shocked to find out that it was used in cosmetics! It is a known carcinogen that is also linked to asthma, neurotoxicity
Things you want to LOOk for
Peptides:
DePuff(R) is a combination of potent peptides including Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3, and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to help reduce eye puffiness, address discoloration (dark circles) under the eyes and reduce the appearance of broken capillaries. DePuff also helps increase the thickness (density) of the skin under the eyes, for a more youthful-looking appearance. Peptides are clinically proven more efficient and safer than Retin-A to thicken, hydrate efficiently, and brighten skin, as well as smooth the fine lines around the eyes to soften expression lines over time.
Resveratrol to provide a protective barrier from free-radical damage. Resveratrol’s compounds derived from grape skins and seeds and other plants have been proven to help prevent free radical damage throughout the body.
DMAE is a powerful antioxidant that helps lift, firm and nourish the delicate eye skin. Our specialized and highly potent formulation of DMAE dramatically firms skin and reduces puffiness within 20 minutes. DMAE also boosts the effects of antioxidant, Alpha Lipoic Acid which gently exfoliates delicate skin around the eyes, reduces puffiness and brightens the eye area. Grape Seed Extract is an antioxidant that is 50 times stronger than Vitamin C and 20 times stronger than Vitamin E.offers multiple anti-inflammatory properties including catechins, polyphenols, and proanthocyanidins to help strengthen and protect cell membranes.
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone is a flavonoid derived from citrus fruits which are known to help diminish dark circles.
Hydrolyzed Collagen:
Hydrates the skin and connective tissues for increased elasticity resulting in smoother, firmer-looking skin around the eyes. It is a clinically proven nutraceutical that is made with a gelatin-like protein and amino acids derived from fish oil which hydrates the skin and connective tissues. Also, it helps elasticity for smoother-looking skin. The extraction process for fish collagen preserves its triple-helix structure, thus keeping polypeptides and amino acids intact.
Squalane:
Squalane, which is a natural component found in our skin, profoundly declines in our 20’ Squalane oil (from olives) which penetrates deep into the skin to help accelerate new cell growth. Squalane mimics the human skin sebum to help soften, hydrate and protect the skin. The antioxidant properties of Squalane have also been touted as being very beneficial for many skin conditions. In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in July 2006, Squalane was found to protect the skin of mice from developing tumors when exposed to carcinogenic substances.
Hyaluronic Acid:
delivers nutrients to the matrix of the skin and locks in hydration, keeping collagen and elastin moist.
Astaxanthin,
a powerful antioxidant which is 500 times more potent than Vitamin E to help neutralize free radicals and help diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, promote visible recovery from environmental stresses, resulting in smoother, more youthful looking skin.
Jojoba seed, Sesame Seed, Sweet Almond and Avocado Oil
