Today I want to share with you another recent story. While I was out grocery shopping the other day, I noticed a girl who was hastily reading the labels of some skincare products, and nothing seemed to satisfy her. Later on, as I was waiting in line to pay, I overheard her saying she hardly found a body lotion whose label was easy to read and understand.
I understood her concern, and because I wanted to help her, I said that not necessarily all that’s hard to read is harmful to your body. I explained her a little as we were both waiting our turns to pay, but I wanted to share the same thought with you.
There are a lot of additives, preservatives, and lab-made substances nowadays – in our foods, in our skincare or haircare products. They’re even more than 50% of what’s on the market, so we’re entitled to be suspicious. Nonetheless, we’re also entitled to be informed.
There are a couple of rules that need to be respected when listing the ingredients on a product, regardless of its use. One concerns the fact that most substances should be named by their scientific term. Therefore, you’ll never see “vitamin B3” as ingredient, but rather “niacin.” Another one stipulates that all the natural ingredients should be listed by their Latin name, so that’s why when you see “Camellia sinensis” or “Hibiscus Sabdariffa,” you should know that they are plain plant extracts.
Now let’s review a couple of the most common names that shouldn’t send shivers down your spine:
1. Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Folic Acid or Cyanocobalamin (or any variation that ends in “cobalamin”)
These are all part of the Vitamin B complex, which is essential for your nervous system.
2. Tocopherol
It’s plain Vitamin E, which is a great antioxidant that is engaged in most hormonal processes. It also feeds the skin cells and protects them against aging.
3. Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, and Locust Beam Gum
These right here are thickeners and stabilizers. They are used to give the product a certain texture and to “connect” the ingredients into merging and reacting as one. They have no effect on the body – neither do they harm it, nor strengthen it – but they are needed in most products.