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Does your skin tend to dry out every fall? Join the club. As the air gets colder, the moisture in our skin depletes faster – so it’s more important than ever to use the right hydrating products to keep your face looking and feeling good.
But it’s also more important than ever to make sure you’re using the right products.
Some moisturizers and face creams may actually do more harm than good, depending on what ingredients they use. It might seem hard to believe, but some skincare ingredients actually dry out your skin, even if they seem to give temporary relief to dryness.
NYC-based dermatologist Dr. Jeriel Weitz, DO, told SheFinds the ingredient you should be staying away from in all or your skincare products: sulfates.
"Sulfates are an ingredient that should be avoided in people with dry skin," Dr. Weitz said. "Sulfates are a type of surfactant, which helps to remove dirt and oil from your skin and thus helps to clean the skin.
"However, sulfates also disrupt the epidermal barrier, which can make them too harsh for people with dry skin. The most common sulfates found in cosmetic products are sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate so be sure to avoid them if you have dry skin."
Sulfates actually strip the skin of its natural moisture, leaving your face drier than it was before you used a product.
Pay careful attention to the ingredients lsited in all of your beauty products to make sure none of them contain any sulfates. And if you need help replacing some items, you can take a look at our guide of sulfate-free beauty products here.
And Dr. Weitz said that the harm doesn't stop with sulfates. In fact, there are several common skincare ingredients that dermatologists know will dry out skin - particularly alcohol and fragrances.
"While alcohol can help other ingredients penetrate the skin and make products feel lightweight, certain types of alcohol can be extremely drying to the skin and should be avoided in patients with dry, sensitive skin or eczema prone patients," Dr. Weitz told us. "Alcohol disrupts the epidermal barrier, which is the top layer of our skin that helps to prevent water loss and maintain hydration. Specifically, try to avoid products that contain denatured alcohol, which has other names like methyl alcohol and SD alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol.
She added, "Fragrances are another ingredient to avoid if you have dry, sensitive skin since they also can disrupt the epidermal barrier. Fragrances are the leading cause of contact dermatitis in cosmetic products."
