Title: Harm In Using Skin Care Products Word Count: 522 Summary: The article is all about the harmful side-effects of using cosmetic and skincare products. The author talks about the benefits and the downsides of using skincare products. To properly explain the danger of relying too much on skincare products, the author cites five ingredients commonly found in skincare products and their bad effects on the skin and the body. Keywords: skincare Article Body: Gone are the days when women need to find leaves, tree barks, and other natural ingredients so they can use them as skin enhancers and beauty supplements. Today, various skincare treatments and products are widely available in stores, markets, spas, salons, and other beauty establishments. With these products and treatments, it is then easier for women to achieve and maintain a smooth and beautiful skin. However, not all skincare products are safe and effective. Some of these products may contain ingredients that are harmful to the skin. Instead of making the skin look healthier and younger, products that contain certain damaging ingredients may even make skin conditions worse. Efficiency of beauty and skincare products are also not the same to all users. Hence, certain treatments and products may either work or not work to some users. This only means that consumers, most especially the women, need to be careful when choosing skin care products. The following are four common ingredients found in skincare products and their negative side-effects on the skin: 1. Artificial colorings Moisturizing products that contain artificial colorings pose harmful effects to the body. Artificial colorings may cause cancer when regularly applied on the skin. Aside from being carcinogenic, some coal-tar colored skincare products also contain metal impurities such as lead and arsenic. These facts on artificial colorings in moisturizing skin care products should be carefully considered by consumers. Remember that the skin is constantly exposed to such artificial colorings since regular application of moisturizer on the skin is a common regimen of most people. 2. Untested skincare products Almost all manufacturers of cosmetic and skincare products have the means to use any raw material as ingredients for their products even without the permission of agencies in charge of regulating cosmetics and beauty products. Since manufacturers have control over product testing, they can distribute and market skincare and cosmetic products to worldwide markets that may possibly contain ingredients that are harmful to health. With this, consumers should keep in mind such alarming fact on skin care products that contain harmful ingredients. Remember that the skin absorbs the ingredients of the skin products when applied on the skin. Hence, harmful ingredients like carcinogens are absorbed by the skin, causing irritation and blister. 3. Fragrance Fragrance is also one of the common ingredients found in untested skincare and cosmetic products. Such ingredient can cause reproductive complication, liver damage, and birth defects in laboratory animals. When applied on the skin, fragrance can cause allergic reactions. As such, experts recommend the use of fragrance-free skincare products to avoid allergies and irritation. 4. Sunscreen Most people think that skincare products containing SPF are best protection of the skin for the harmful rays of the sun. What they don’t know is that some sunscreens have adverse side effects to the body. Yes, SPF chemicals protect the skin from the surface. But once absorbed, these may bring damaging effects to the body. 5. Glycols Glycols are derived from hydrocarbons. These are among the ingredients commonly found in moisturizers and are used as cosmetics solvents. Over-exposure to glycol can lead to serious complications in a woman’s reproductive system and contact dermatitis.