I have been to all these sales (John Little, Robinsons, Beauty Language, etc) and religiously read every single label I have come across. And invariably all of them seem to contain the same few chemicals (regardless of the miracle they promise to your skin) and the same toxins that are bad for your skin.
- Alcohol - most Korean moisturisers and toners contain alcohol. (read the label for yourself if you don't believe me). I feel it's drying for skin and exacerbates sensitive / acne / oily / combination skin conditions. Even if it's not mentioned on the label, some of these contain so much alcohol that you could smell it once you open the bottle.
- Aluminium / alumina / aluminium hydroxide - there are articles that associate aluminium with neuro-diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinsons. So I don't personally like applying aluminium to my face / body every day. I wouldn't put it on Little Pixie either.
- Parabens - everyone knows that these are bad - that's why there are so many lines of skincare in Watson's that claim they are paraben-free. These are hormone disrupters, and my general advice is, minimise the use.
- Dozens and dozens of unpronounciable names which can only be found in the Environmental Working Group's database.
Did you also notice that very few, if any, of them, promise that they are "non-comedogenic"?
That's because most of them contain stuff like petrolatum / mineral oil which are pore-clogging. Which makes me wonder why they are Blemish Balm Creams in the first place - since BB creams are supposed to heal your skin.
They too contain the same nasty stuff that's found in Korean skincare as I mentioned above.
And when I read the labels of those that promise SPF XXX, some do not even have the usual sunblock active ingredients! (See other post on sunblocks).
