Don't spend your money on dyes, artificial fragrance, and toxins—keep it pure and simple.
Recently a client brought a face cream that her dermatologist recommended—Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel—and asked if I thought it was good for her skin. She liked the price point (around $25) and felt good about it being recommended by her dermatologist.
When we broke down what was in it, it had several ingredients (Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, C12-14 Pareth) that have a moderate rating for non-reproductive organ system toxicity. These ingredients also have a moderate "restrict usage" recommendation. It also contained ingredients that have a moderate score for skin, eye, or lung irritation (blue dye, fragrance). So that $25 was going towards blue dye, artificial fragrance, and ingredients that have a moderate toxic rating! Yuck! If you are looking for hydration and want to keep your cost low, go with pure and simple! Instead of spending money on dye and toxic ingredients, go with sunflower oil or olive oil. Choosing a pure, organic, unrefined oil will feed your skin with vitamins and nutrients to hydrate and repair your skin without risk of irritation or absorbing toxins!
My Favorite Oils for Skin Hydration:
Sunflower
Safflower
Grapeseed
Olive
Neem
Apricot
Coconut
If you prefer a cream for hydration, my favorite moisturizer is Osea Advanced Protection Cream. Ingredients include: aloe, squalane, gigartina seaweed, sunflower oils, safflower oil, olive oil, avocado oil, fermented radish root, etc. Zero dye, zero fragrance, zero toxicity! You will spend a little more with this one, but your skin will be deeply hydrated, calmed, and plumped with pure marine ingredients!
Want to clean out your bathroom cabinet? Environmental Working Group Skin Deep can help you know what is in your products. Use this as a guide to purge your cabinets and to help you select clean, healthy replacements. Learn more!