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Organic skin care has a healthy ring to it, but the real meaning of organic products doesn't necessarily coincide with what consumers might expect. As a matter of fact, organic simply means that a product is free of artificial ingredients, petroleum-based ingredients or other unsafe ingredients.

Nevertheless, there are several ingredients that we don't deem as natural that are commonly added to natural skin care products. One example is petroleum. This ingredient doesn't seem like something that you would want to put on your skin, however there are several skin care products that do contain it. Therefore, a good way of keeping your skin safe from these ingredients is by learning how to spot noxious ingredients in the product labels.

Stay Away From 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.

Avoid Petrochemicals

This group of ingredients is derived from crude oil, giving it the name of Petrochemicals. These 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.

Don't use anti aging creams that contain mineral oil, paraffin and petrolatum. Especially if you have oily or combination skin.

Stay away from Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds)

Quaternary Ammonium compounds are used in conditioning products, however, use them carefully because they have also been linked to antibiotic resistance. Stay away from 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.

Sulfates Are Not Your Friend

Sulfates 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.

Don't Use Certain Alcohols

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.

It just takes a little time and research to find the ingredients that you should avoid. In fact, it's well worth the effort when you're looking for the best wrinkle creams out there.