The Proteen Skincarw Phenomenon

Written by Sara Scrivano, L.Ac

Being the mom of 12 year old twins, I thought it was just my pre- teen daughter that started to become obsessed with skin care. She would tell me ” mom, your face looks dry, you should try a serum”. “Mommy, those are dark circles under your eyes, you need a concealer”. Then a recent trip to Sephora, I began to realize…”wait a minute, this is not just my daughter”. There are ALOT of pre-teens in here. As I dug deeper, I realized that pre-teens are getting information from tik tok and instagram. I am hands downs into a good skin care regiment starting now, with a daily gentle cleanser made with organic ingredients and that’s it! These girls/boys are into serums, cleansers, exfoliates. I even found a face roller in her make up bag. What!! As a women’s health practitioner, I began to fear what these products are doing to their reproductive system and hormones that are just beginning to wake up in their bodies.

On a recent visit to Sephora, my daughter went through all the products that she loved. I downloaded the Yuka app, it is a great resource for looking up ingredients in products. This app tells you if they have ingredients that can be harmful to the body over time. I was SHOCKED to see that almost every product had ingredients that could be linked to cancer as well as other types of health issues, even the skin care products that I use that were seen to be more “natural”. Many products had ingredients that are endocrine disruptors. As a pre- teen body is going through immense hormonal changes, it is not good to have products that can interfere with the reproductive system and hormones.

These harmful ingredients are commonly found in skincare, beauty and hair products and while some of them have been banned in Europe and Australia, They are still found in products in US. Medical studies have listed these ingredients as known endocrine disrupters, several have been banned in Europe.

Phthalates:
FOUND IN: Nail Polish, hair sprays, aftershave lotions, cleansers, and shampoos

SIDE EFFECTS: Toxic to reproductive and developmental health, causes cancer

Petroleum / Paraffin/ Mineral oil:

FOUND IN: Lotions, lip balms and soaps

SIDE EFFECTS: Creates skin blockages that lead to fungus and yeast growth

Propulene Glycerol:

FOUND IN: creams, lotions, and shampoos and serums

SIDE EFFECTS: Toxic to organs like the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain

Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone:

FOUND IN: Lotion and Haircare products

SIDE EFFECTS: Traps moisture in the skin and creates a barrier that locks in bacteria

Coal tar:

FOUND IN: Shampoos and scalp treatments, soaps, hair dyes, and lotions
SIDE EFFECTS: Introduces and increases heavy metals into the bloodstream

Ingredient Checking Apps

Finding safe skincare products doesn’t have to be difficult. Before committing to a new product, take a look at what’s in it. It may seem overwhelming task but, there are resources created to simplify the process.
Yuka, Think Dirty, EWG Healthy Living and CosmEthics are all apps designed to help scan your skincare and give you a breakdown of the ingredient list. These apps give insight and help consumers make informed choices.