Certain ingredients in beauty products, particularly skin creams, can do wonders for your skin. The flip side is certain ingredients typically found in beauty products can wreak havoc in the long run. Here are just a few… 

Hydroquinone 
A very popular whitening agent, hydroquinone can destroy melanocytes permanently. Chronic ochronosis, which is a blackened effect of the skin, may also occur from misuse.  

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 
A potentially carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that can change and reduce the skin’s natural moisture factor, PEG is used in cleansers to dissolve oil, but is also used in spray-on oven cleaners.   

Parabens 
Used as synthetic preservatives to preserve the shelf life of a product, parabens work by slowing down or stopping enzyme activity. Once applied on the skin, these become absorbed and drift into the cells, tissues, and organs of the body where they can disrupt healthy functioning of cells.   

Mineral oil
A petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, mineral oil interferes with skin’s detoxification ability.   

Urea
A preservative used in skin creams that often may release formaldehyde which may cause joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Urea is used as a preservative, but also used as an emollient creams for dry skin conditions.