Alcohol
If you have sensitive or dry skin, avoiding alcohol in your skincare products is a smart idea.
According to Paula's Choice, you should stay away from drying alcohols like SD alcohol, denatured alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol.
The website explains: "Consequences [of using products with these alcohols] include dryness, disruption of the surface of skin's microbiome and barrier (the latter being especially bad for skin), and a strain on how skin replenishes, renews, and rejuvenates itself."
Fragrance
Fragrance and perfume are also important to avoid.
Board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner explains to Byrdie: "Synthetic fragrances are a major source of skin allergies. This can cause inflammation and irritation, which makes treating acne even more difficult than it already is."
Stick to fragrance-free day creams to avoid unnecessary irritation.
Parabens
Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, DC, explains how parabens can affect the skin.
While speaking to Stylecaster, Tanzi explains, "People with sensitive skin should also avoid them because they can cause irritation. Besides being a possible allergy-causing preservative, there are questions about their safety as a whole when absorbed in high amounts in the body. They’ve been controversial because they can stimulate estrogen, so people are concerned with the risk of breast cancer and stimulating puberty in children."
The best course of action for trying out new skincare products is to do a patch test first in order to gauge how it will effect your skin--especially if it might lead to irritation.
However, before purchasing and patch testing these products, you can narrow your search by skipping these well-known irritants.