Look Out! Ingredients You Must Avoid In Your Makeup

We need to talk. There’s stuff lurking in your makeup bag that has got to go, and we’re not exaggerating when we say your health (and the health of other living beings) depends on it! Grab your beauty stash and a trash can and we will go over the ingredients to avoid in makeup, together. If your products contain any of the following items, they need to be tossed and replaced with natural, cruelty-free makeup ingredients and beauty products.

Formaldehyde releasing preservatives – They come in a variety of difficult to pronounce names including: DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate. Companies that use them say these ingredients are included in your cosmetics to preserve them; what they may not be telling you is that these ingredients are also slowly and continuously releasing the carcinogen formaldehyde. Studies also indicate the formaldehyde may be absorbed by your skin when it’s included in topical products. Just think about that.
Opt instead for items that use natural preservatives like benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid, sorbic acid and sodium levlinate/anisate.

BHA and BHT – Also known as butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene, these preservatives are synthetic antioxidants. Both can cause allergic reactions. They have caused a host of problems in organs like the liver, thyroid, and kidneys and that’s not all. Some studies suggest that BHT may mimic estrogen.
Look for products with Vitamin E. This antioxidant helps keep oils from going rancid.

Lanolin, tallow, dairy or collagen – Let’s just cut to the chase. Ingredients that are derived from animals have no place in your make-up bag. Do you really want to smear beef fat (tallow & some forms of stearic acid) on your body or attempt to fill in laugh lines with the connective tissue of a fellow mammal (collagen)? Gross, right? If that doesn’t convince you, consider the inhumane processes involved when animals are harvested for ingredients. You’re better than that. You’re a compassionate, intelligent beauty. Ditch the products that aren’t. Be aware of how ingredients are sourced. As noted above, some stearic acid is derived from beef fat. However, it can also be derived from coconut, like the stearic acid in our products. When in doubt about an ingredient’s origin, ask.
Opt instead for cruelty-free, animal-friendly ingredients like aloe, flower waxes, lutein, lycopene and astaxanthin.

FD&C dyes (derived from coal tar) – You want your eyeshadow to pop and your blush to highlight those gorgeous cheek bones. But you don’t want to do it with synthetic colors that have been deemed as possible carcinogenic and that’s exactly what FD&C dyes are.
Opt instead for natural coloring agents like iron oxides, and ultramarines which are non-toxic and highly pigmented (and this means a little goes a long way!)

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) – This nasty little beast may be lurking as a fragrance ingredient in some of your favorite cosmetic products and you wouldn’t even know it. Because fragrances are considered a ‘trade secret,’ manufacturers don’t have to tell you what they’re using to create your beloved scent. DBP can magnify the carcinogenic risks of other chemicals on the ingredient list. Some studies have shown a link to developmental defects and disruption to hormone function.
Opt instead for fragrance-free products or all-natural, organic parfums and other scented products that rely on essential oils from flowers, fruits, herbs and spices (not chemicals) for their intoxicating aromas. (We’ll gladly tell you what’s in our parfum.)

PEG compounds (polyethylene glycols) – Grab your favorite moisturizer and any of the cream-based cosmetics in your bag. If you’re not stocked up with all-natural, organic goods, odds are you’ll find PEG compounds on the ingredient list. PEGs are petroleum-based and they’re used as thickeners, solvents, softeners and moisture-carriers. They may also be contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, both known carcinogens. PEG compounds will also irritate broken skin. It’s bizarre to think that companies are using this in the very products you’re hoping will nurture dry, irritated skin!
Opt instead for products that use all-natural thickeners like carnauba wax. Look to plant-based oils (coconut, safflower, and sesame) and other natural moisturizing, skin-softening ingredients such as aloe and coca butter.

Now that your make-up bag is cleaned out of these unbeautiful and risky ingredients, it’s time to restock with natural products you can feel good about. If our FlowerColor makeup isn’t already in your bag, now is the time to stock up and better your beauty!

We want to see what you get! Take a picture of your makeup bag full of Ecco Bella product and share it with us on Instagram. Use the hashtag #EBBetterBeauty! Be sure to tag us @eccobellabeauty.

Want to learn more about Ecco Bella’s philosophy and commitment to cruelty-free, natural products? Start reading here: http://www.eccobella.com/philosophy/