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. In relation to skin care, the word organic refers to products that do not contain 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. So the best way of protecting your skin from ingredients you don't want, is by learning how to spot them on the product labels.

Ingredients to Avoid in Anti Aging Products

Organic skin care products and aging cream 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.

Warning: 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.

Avoid 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. Try and avoid using products that contain benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride and cetrimonium bromide, among others.

Avoid Synthetic Colors

These ingredients are made from coal tar and heavy metal salts. They can quickly lead to eye wrinkles and dull skin because they produce free radicals, which is why you should avoid products that contain FD&C or D&C.

Stay Away from Sulfates

These components are usually used to make soaps, detergents and cleansers. They are listed under the following names: sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. 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

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.

All you need to do is invest 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.