Your chemical moisturizer could be the cause of skin ageing.

by Reby Baldoz

Looking for that fountain of youth? Well, don’t be grabbing that pot of petroleum jelly nor should you be going for that bottle of mineral oil masquerading as baby or hiding inside moisturizers. Those, my friends, are sure-fire one-way ticket to wrinkle-ville where crow’s feet, venus rings and wrinkles are a-plenty. Yes, you heard me. This is the one place you should be avoiding at all costs! It ain’t nothing like Disneyland. Definitely NOT the happiest place to be on earth.

Mineral Oil and Petrolatum

We’ve all done it before, I mean who hasn’t used baby oil as their moisturizer? And who hasn’t slathered on petroleum jelly or what they call “the-do-it-all product” all over their feet at night and covered it up with socks in the hopes of attaining softer soles and removing calluses, or used it as a mak-up remover, or worse, used it as a lip balm? Mmm-hmmm… You know you have. So stop right there because did you know that mineral oil and petroleum by-products may cause serious health risks?

Apart from clogging pores and causing allergies, John Hopkins University has named mineral oil as the number two cause of ageing next to sun exposure while the U.S. Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances classified mineral oil both as carcinogenic and tumorigenic. Petrolatum on the other hand is listed as a probable human carcinogen in the European Union’s Dangerous Directive (UNECE 2004).

Cause of Ageing

Mineral oil and other petroleum by-products work by sitting on the skin’s surface thus blocking pores and impeding the skin’s ability to release toxins. This in turn speeds up ageing and causes the appearance of pimples simply because your skin can’t properly breathe. It’s like putting cling wrap all over your face and body! Healthy skin needs to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide but if you suffocate it with all that gunk, then you’re sure to look older. “yikes”

So go for natural ingredients. Make sure you read the label to ensure that what you’re getting is Only the Good.