Most people don’t realize how much is hiding inside their moisturizers, lotions, lip products, and cosmetics. A lot of these items look clean and harmless on the outside, but once you look at the ingredient list, you’ll find preservatives, stabilizers, synthetic fragrances, seed oils, and chemicals that don’t belong anywhere on the skin.
The beauty industry uses the term “clean” loosely. Even products labeled natural, dermatologist-approved, or gentle often contain chemicals that can irritate the skin, mess with hormones, or weaken the skin barrier over time.
Chemicals Found in Most Moisturizers and Cosmetics
Phthalates
Phthalates (often hidden under the word “fragrance”) are used to make scents last longer or keep products flexible. They’re known hormone disruptors and one of the biggest red flags in personal-care items.
Parabens
Parabens are preservatives found in lotions, creams, and makeup. They extend shelf life but can irritate the skin and disrupt hormones.
Artificial Fragrances and Flavors
The word “fragrance” can legally contain dozens of chemicals. Companies don’t have to list them individually, which makes it one of the most misleading ingredients on labels.
Refined Seed Oils
Seed oils are cheap and easy for brands to use, but the refining process makes them unstable. They oxidize fast, which can lead to inflammation and dryness instead of real moisture.
Silicones
Silicones give products that slippery, smooth feeling. They don’t moisturize or repair the skin they just create a temporary layer that eventually leaves the skin feeling even drier.
Alcohols
Drying alcohols are used to thin out lotions or help them dry fast. They evaporate quickly and pull your natural moisture with them.
Why These Ingredients Are So Common
Most commercial moisturizers and cosmetics are made for long shelf life, not long-term skin health. Stabilizers, artificial fragrances, and cheap oils create a product that feels good on first use but doesn’t support the skin barrier at all.
If you’ve ever felt like you need to constantly reapply lotion or lip balm, that’s usually the reason.
Simpler Ingredients Make a Bigger Difference
Your skin responds better to ingredients that are natural, stable, and similar to what the skin barrier needs. Tallow, beeswax, and cold-pressed oils work with the skin, not against it. When you remove parabens, phthalates, silicones, and synthetic fragrances, the difference is obvious.
A Cleaner Alternative
Our lip balm is made with only four simple ingredients: tallow, beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oils. No hidden chemicals, no preservatives, no synthetic fragrances, and no seed oils. It’s thicker than most balms, and because it actually nourishes the lips, you don’t have to reapply it all day.
You can check out the rest of our natural skincare products here:
MaloneyHealing.com