Organic skin care has a rather healthy ring to it. However, the official definition of organic does not necessarily coincide with what consumers might expect. In fact, when a product is labeled as organic it means that it contains no 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 is considered a natural ingredient added to several natural skin care products, however, I can't think of many people that would knowingly want to put it on their skin. Therefore, a good way of keeping your skin safe from these ingredients is by learning how to spot noxious ingredients in the product labels.

Ingredients to Avoid in Anti Aging Products

Anti aging and organic skin care products are supposed to help keep the skin young and healthy. However, certain ingredients in these products 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. Petrochemicals coat your skin and make it impossible for your body to eliminate toxins. Because it is difficult to eliminate toxins your body may experience dull skin, allergies, and clogged pores.

Stay away from anti aging creams that contain mineral oil, paraffin and petrolatum. This is especially important if you have oily or combination skin.

Do Not Use Products Containing Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

These components are used in conditioning products. However, they have been linked with antibiotic resistance. Stay away from products that contain benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride and cetrimonium bromide, among others.

Don't Use Synthetic Colors

Synthetic colors are often made from coal tar and heavy metal salts. They are known to lead to eye wrinkles and dull skin. This happens because they produce free radicals which are damaging to the skin's structure. In order to avoid exposure, do not use products that contain FD&C or D&C.

Sulfates Are Not Your Friend

These components are usually used to make soaps, detergents and cleansers. If the product you are about to buy contains sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, then it contains sulfates. Sulfates are known to dry out the skin (remember dry skin is more prone to wrinkling), cause rashes and lead to ocular problems.

Not All Alcohols Are Good

An anti wrinkle cream should never contain alcohol because it is known to dehydrate the skin and lead to wrinkles. Alcohol can also lead to irritation and rashes, but this isn't true for all types of alcohol. In fact stearyl and cetearyl alchol are both acceptable ingredients in any wrinkle treatment cream.

It just takes a little time and research to find the 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.