Anti-Wrinkle Cream Ingredients to Avoid

Anti-wrinkle creams are often praised as the safest and most natural solutions for fighting wrinkles and smoothing skin.

However, if you don’t use products containing the right anti-wrinkle cream ingredients, you may be doing more harm than good for your skin.

Hidden beneath those “scientifically proven” formulas are chemicals, preservatives, and other harmful ingredients capable of damaging your skin and triggering more wrinkles, canceling out any benefits you may have received from that peptide-infused blend.

Double check the label of your current wrinkle cream right now to find out if you’re getting the safest formula for your skin.

Red Flag #1: Mineral Oil

Mineral oil coats the skin in a protective moisturizing layer – or so many manufacturers would have you believe.

Although mineral oil is cheap and glides effortlessly on the skin, the so-called protective coating is impermeable and inhibits the skin’s natural ability to breathe and eliminate toxins through sweat.

Mineral oil blocks pores and triggers acne, and it also inhibits the absorption of other helpful ingredients inside your anti-wrinkle cream.

According to Positive Health Online, mineral oil pulls moisture away from the skin, which can rob newly formed cells of moisture and cause further chapping.

Fragrances

One of the most appealing things about anti-aging products and creams is the smell. If an anti-wrinkle cream smells fresh and fragrant, then simply opening the bottle and taking a whiff seems to restore a small part of your youth.

Unfortunately, most fragrances are the result of additives rather than natural ingredients, and some contain ingredients capable of causing mild forms of allergic reactions ranging from dermatitis to hives. The fragrance industry often relies on toxic and carcinogenic ingredients which can be absorbed into the skin and can interfere with your skin’s natural repairing process.

Although your product may smell good, you may want to make sure the lavender or mint wafting to your nose is made from the actual herb rather than a synthetic by-product.

Parabens

Parabens are synthetic preservatives that increase the shelf life of your current wrinkle cream. However, even though they preserve the product, it doesn’t mean they will preserve your skin.

Most parabens include methylparaben, ethylparaben, proplyparaben, and butlparabn and can be absorbed through your skin. These compounds can mimic hormones in the body and disrupt your endocrine system.

In a study featured by Toxicology, human skin cells were either exposed to a placebo or methylparaben for 24 hours. Cells exposed to the paraben were more subject to UVB-damage than those that weren’t, which means your wrinkle-cream may leave you more vulnerable to sun damage (the number one cause for wrinkles) and premature aging.

Parabens may also cause allergic reactions and skin irritation in some individuals, so you’ll definitely want to be careful with these products.

Alcohols

Alcohol is a difficult ingredient to avoid when searching for an effective anti-wrinkle cream. This is because it comes in such a wide variety of forms and quantities such as ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, SD alcohol, methanol, and isopropyl alcohol.

Alcohol is often used as a solvent and is designed to preserve the product for longer periods of time.

Cetyl Alcohol, in particular, is typically used as a binding ingredient and emollient because it attracts water and locks in moisture; at the same time, it dissolves the skin’s natural oils which can lead to further drying and chapping, leaving you vulnerable to viruses and bacteria.

Petroleum Products

Vaseline and Petroleum jelly are some of the most popular skincare treatments in the industry.

These ingredients are affordable, and, like mineral oil, they offer a layer of protection which may give your chapped lips, hands, and skin a chance to heal and repair itself.

However, Vaseline simply sits on the surface of your skin and blocks pores, and according to some experts, it can induce acne. It also inhibits the skin from being able to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

On a short-term use, Vaseline may be able to help excessive chapping, but long-term use is detrimental to the skin and suppresses normal, healthy functioning. As a wrinkle treatment, it’s not the best ingredient out there.

What to Use Instead

Now that you know which anti-wrinkle cream ingredients to avoid when searching for your next wrinkle cream treatment, it’s time to start searching for high quality formulas to smooth wrinkles and stimulate collagen production.

You can read more about these treatments here.

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