Alcohol
Staying away from alcohol when it comes to skincare is super important if you want a more youthful look.
Birnbaum explains, "Alcohol or ethanol are often found in toners and other skin care products. While they can degrease the skin, they can be very irritating and drying, stripping your skin of its protective barrier. It does little to improve skin and the dryness it causes prevents tolerability of more proven anti-aging and anti-acne ingredients like retinols."
Pure Essential Oils
According to Birnbaum, pure essential oils are also really important to avoid.
She explains, "Be careful with pure essential oils, especially rose or lavender, which contain geraniol. This can cause an allergic or irritant reaction on the skin. Citrus essential oils can cause a reaction in the sun called phytophotodermatitis, which can lead to hyperpigmentation of the skin, so avoid oils with lemon, lime, or bergamot. Oils in general are comedogenic, meaning they clog pores. If you are acne-prone, I would steer clear of oils."
Methylisothiazolinone (MI)
Stay away from MI if you want to improve the overall appearance of your skin.
Birnbaum explains, "MI is a preservative used to prevent bacterial overgrowth in cosmetics and household products, such as make-up remover wipes, shampoos, deodorants, detergents, moisturizers, make-up, and baby wipes. It is one of the most common ingredients to cause allergic contact dermatitis. This very allergenic product has taken the place of other preservatives such as parabens and formaldehyde releasers, that have gotten a bad reputation. It is actually banned in Europe but not in the US."
Fragrances
Fragrances are another red flag ingredient that can damage your skin.
She explains, "Fragrances are another common cause of allergic reactions of the skin. Avoid “fragrance” or “parfum” in the ingredient list. A tip: look for “fragrance-free” products over “unscented” products. “Unscented” products can use a masking fragrance to mask an unpleasant smell to produce a neutral smell—they are still fragranced!"