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Organic skin care sounds healthy, but isn't quite what you may have expected. As a matter of fact, organic simply means that a product is free of artificial ingredients, petroleum-based ingredients or other unsafe ingredients.

Nevertheless, some ingredients that we may not consider natural or safe enough for our skin may still be considered within the guidelines of what is or isn't natural for skin care products. For example, petroleum which sounds like something no one wants to put on their skin is actually a natural ingredient found in most natural skin care products. Therefore, the best way of having a say in what goes on your skin is by learning how to spot noxious ingredients on the product labels.

Anti Aging Products Should Not Contain These Ingredients

Anti aging and organic skin care products are supposed to keep your skin young and healthy, but this is actually the opposite of what happens when you use certain products that can actually speed up the aging process and lead to dull skin and wrinkles.

Stay Away from Products Containing Petrochemicals

This group of ingredients is derived from crude oil and can coat your skin making it impossible for your body to eliminate toxins. They can lead to dull skin, and cause allergies and clogged pores.

Stay away from anti aging creams that contain mineral oil, paraffin and petrolatum. This is especially true for people with oily or combination skin.

Avoid Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds)

Quats are used in conditioning products, but be careful because they have also been linked to antibiotic resistance. Avoid products that contain benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride and cetrimonium bromide, among others.

Caution: Synthetic Colors

These ingredients are made from coal tar and heavy metal salts. They can lead to eye wrinkles and dull skin because they produce free radicals. If the product labels contain the abbreviations FD&C or D&C, it is best to avoid purchasing that product.

Stay Away from Sulfates

These components are usually found in soaps, detergents and cleansers. If you have a hard time finding them listed in the ingredients list, look for their alias: sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. Sulfates are known to dry out the skin and cause rashes.

Not All Alcohols Are Good

Anti wrinkle creams should not contain alcohol because it dehydrates the skin and can lead to wrinkles. Alcohol can also lead to irritation and rashes. However, stearyl and cetearyl alchol are both acceptable ingredients in any wrinkle treatment cream.

With a bit more research you can find other ingredients that you should avoid. In fact, it doesn't feel like such an effort when you're looking for the best wrinkle creams out there.