Homemade acne treatments commonly use synthetic or potentially harmful ingredients. Here is a list of these ingredients and safe & natural alternatives

1. Homemade Acne Treatment Tip #21: Ingredients to Avoid
When using any homemade acne treatment, it is important to avoid further irritating or damage your
skin in order to reduce the risk of acne scars. Here is a list of chemicals that should be avoided, when
possible, during homemade acne treatments. Less harmful alternatives have been listed as well for your
convenience.
1) Mineral oil or Petrolatum: Mineral oil sounds natural, but is actually made of petroleum based
hydrocarbons. It is commonly used as a cheap base ingredient in many products or advertised
as moisturizing and as having the ability to protect your skin and lips from sunburn. Mineral oil
is known to interfere with normal perspiration and your body’s natural moisturizing ability.
Alternative: An easy alternative is any type of cooking oil. Extra virgin olive oil is
especially beneficial for all skin types, being moisturizing and protective. If you want to
get a little fancier, you can use sweet almond oil or jojoba oil. These oils have a
sweeter, less food-like smell and are fairly easy to find at any natural health food store.
2) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: This ingredient is exceptionally common in shampoos, conditioners,
soaps and cleansers and used for its suds-creating action. It is relatively safe when used in a
short period of time, however if contact is prolonged it is known to cause skin and eye irritation,
rashes, hair loss, dandruff and other allergic reactions. Sodium lauryl sulfate is often disguised
as a pseudo-natural ingredient stating that it derived from coconut. It is recommended to avoid
products containing sodium lauryl sulfate unless the contact time with the skin is very short.
Alternative: Since sodium lauryl sulfate is typically added for its foaming action, it’s
really an unnecessary ingredient. No alternative is needed.
3) Propylene Glycol : Propylene Glycol is used as a carrier agent for other, more key ingredients in
a product. It can be a natural and completely safe ingredient consisting of a mixture of
vegetable glycerine and grain alcohol (ethanol). However, usually when this ingredient is in a
product, it is a synthetic version made of petrochemicals. It is generally regarded as safe,
however it can cause contact dermatitis in some people, especially those with existing eczema.
Alternative: If you can ensure the propylene glycol is naturally sourced, there is no
need for an alternative, unless your skin is sensitive to alcohol. Alcohol can be drying to
the skin, so if you already suffer from dry skin, you may want to use alcohol-free beauty
products.
4) Parabens: Commonly written as Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben and Ethyl
Paraben. Parabens are very inexpensive and commonly used to inhibit microbial growth and to
extend shelf life of products. They are widely used even though there is growing evidence of its
toxicity. Parabens can cause skin irritation and contact dermatitis and rosacea in individuals with

2. paraben allergies. Recent scientific studies have also revealed shocking correlations between
parabens and breast cancer. One UK-based study found high levels of parabens in eighteen out
of twenty breast tumors.
Alternative: When using a completely natural product, it can be quite difficult to find a
preservative that extends the shelf life to what our standards are these days. The fact
that a shampoo or facial cleanser lasts 3 or more years without going sour shows how
much we’re used to synthetic additives and preservatives. Alcohol is an excellent
natural preservative, but as I said above, it can be quite drying to the skin, as well as
burning to the eyes. Many natural body-care lines use Grapefruit seed extract (GSE).
This has shown to significantly extend the shelf life of a product, however please keep in
mind that the more natural and simple you go, the less you should buy or make at a
time.
5) Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea: Also known as Germall II and Germall 115, these are
the most widely used preservatives after the parabens. They are well established as potentially
causing of contact dermatitis. Germall 115 releases formaldehyde at just over 10°.
Alternative: Please see alternative information for Parabens.
6) Synthetic Colors: These show up on a product label usually written something along the lines of
FD&C5. Synthetic colors may make your beauty products and food look picture perfect, but
they really should be avoided as much as possible. There is a lot of evidence showing that many
synthetic colors may cause cancer.
Alternative: If you are shopping for a natural line of beauty products, just ensure it
does not contain the synthetic colors. If you are wanting to create your own products
and would like to add a bit of color, you do still have options. Many ingredients have a
natural color to them already – many oils have a yellowish tone. Many herbs can be
used to add color as well – lemon balm leaves make a vibrant green, many flowers
create a lovely red or purple. There are a few books available on natural dyes as well – I
would recommend reading these if you are serious about making your own products,
and having them be colored.
7) Synthetic Fragrances: Usually just written as “fragrance”. There can be as many as 200
chemical ingredients in a synthetic fragrance, many of which we know very little about in
regards to our health and well being. Many people report experiencing headaches, dizziness,
rashes, violent coughing and vomiting due to these ingredients.
Alternative: It’s fairly easy these days to find products that are “unscented” or where
no scent has been added. If you are creating your own products, you can always add a
few drops of your favorite essential oil – in small quantities, these are generally
affordable and you have the control to make the product as scented as you like.

3. Preventing further damage is the first step to any successful homemade acne treatment. Removing
these chemicals from your skin care routine will help protect your skin from unnecessary damage and
irritation. Learn more about homemade acne treatments at homemadeacnetreatmenthq.com