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Your skincare routine, while important for preserving your skin in the future so you can age gracefully, also dictates the quality of your appearance in the present. Using low quality products can cause preventable breakouts and other skin irritations, and may actually work against the skin issues you’re trying to treat.
Drugstore skincare products can be hit or miss, with a number of great and affordable options on the market that can improve your skin, but the same number of products actively making it worse. If you purchase your face wash from the drugstore and have been suffering from dryness or acne flare ups, this is the ingredient you should be avoiding in order to prevent worsening skin texture and achieve your best skin.
Sulfates in your face wash are most likely to create breakouts and acne issues, and is commonly found in skincare products due to the foaming effect it creates. Board certified internist Dr. Sunitha Posina explains, “Sodium lauryl sulfates is a surfactant; used commonly in cleansers as a foaming agent to create the foamy lather and helps clean better. It is not a completely “worse” ingredient on the skin, but it can strip your skin of its natural oils and further irritate and dehydrate the skin.”
If you already have sensitive skin that reacts poorly to many products, sodium lauryl sulfate should be avoided due to its ability to cause dermatitis on your complexion. “SLS has the ability to bind to SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) and can be more irritating and increase chances of developing contact dermatitis. If you are someone with a history of allergies, have sensitive skin or eczema – I would not recommend using SLS,” warns Posina.
Contact dermatitis is a condition brought on by skincare ingredients and, while not contagious or dangerous, can make the skin appear swollen, itchy, flaky and red. While sodium lauryl sulfate may cause cases of contact dermatitis as it dries out the skin, it may also increase chances of acne and breakouts. According to Healthline, “The highest risk of using products with SLS and SLES is irritation to your eyes, skin, mouth, and lungs. For people with sensitive skin, sulfates may also clog pores and cause acne.”
When choosing products for your skincare routine it’s important to ensure high quality ingredients, even if you are buying from the drugstore. There are a number of great products on the market which will enhance the natural beauty of your skin while preventing signs of aging, so it’s important to check the ingredients list before you make your purchase to avoid irritants.
Dr. Posina recommends searching instead for products containing coco glucoside, decyl glucoside or disodium laureth sulfosuccinate to enhance the texture of your skin. If you struggle with acne or chronic dryness, skip the satisfying lather that sodium lauryl sulfate may provide in favor of a product that actually treats your skin well.
