Have you ever wondered what’s actually in your skincare? It’s easy to blindly follow labels that read “Dermatologist Recommended” or “Clinically Approved,” and while these phrases sound nice and convince us enough to add the products to our shopping carts, it is important to understand what chemicals you are putting directly on the largest organ in the human body: your skin.
Researching the chemicals and polymers in each product can be daunting, especially without a chemical background. Yuka, an app created in 2011 and launched in 2020, makes it easy for anyone to simply scan the barcode of their products and receive a rating and list of ingredients. Yuka can scan cosmetics products as well as food products. It also recommends healthier alternatives to products with lower ratings.
Despite what they say, not all beauty companies have your best interests at heart. Yuka reveals that products that have been marketed to you as acne-safe, gentle, and non-toxic might not actually be. Yuka is independently owned and not subject to any pressures from big companies in the food and beauty industries.
Yuka’s rating system is on a scale of 1-100, and products are sorted into the categories “Excellent,” “Good,” “Poor,” and “Bad.” To earn a higher Yuka rating, cosmetics must be free of ingredients that pose a moderate or high health risk, or a moderate to high risk to the environment. The highest rated products tend to have the following characteristics: formulated with ingredients that pose little to no health risk, vegan and cruelty-free, and do not contain recognized allergens.
Here is a list of cosmetic and skincare products that have been marketed misleadingly, and cleaner alternatives. Although these products might have good ratings, they may not be the perfect product for your skin type. Everyone’s skin is different, and that’s okay! It’s important to realize people have different reactions to different products, and one product may not be for everyone.
Cleansers:
Starting off controversial, the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser received a Yuka rating of 7/100, classifying it as “Bad.” Its high-risk ingredients are propylparaben, a substance that can be irritating to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system, and butylparaben, an allergen and endocrine-disrupting substance.
A cleaner alternative is Cetaphil’s Daily Facial Cleanser Fragrance Free. This product received an “Excellent” rating with a score of 86/100. It is an easy swap, with much cleaner and lower-risk ingredients.
Exfoliants:
While it might be tempting to want to scrub all the oils and dirt off your face at the end of the day, exfoliants can be extremely damaging and strip your skin barrier of natural oils. The St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Face Scrub is one to avoid, with a “Bad” rating of 24/100. It contains phenoxyethanol and benzyl salicylate, which pose moderate risks as potential allergens, irritants, endocrine disruptors, and pollutants.
Yuka instead recommends Paula’s Choice’s 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. This product has an “Excellent” rating of 86/100.
Moisturizers:
Moisturizing is a key step of any skincare routine. But Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Face Moisturizer might not be the safest pick, with a “Poor” rating of 37/100. It contains phenoxyethanol and C13-14 Isoparaffin, which both pose a moderate risk as pollutants, irritants, potential allergens, and potential endocrine disruptors.
Yuka suggests Byoma’s Moisturizing Gel-Cream or La Roche Posay’s Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer, both products have an “Excellent” score of 100/100.
Serums:
The Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum received a “Poor” rating of 47/100. Like many other products on this list, it contains phenoxyethanol and Laureth-23, an irritant and pollutant.
Instead, try a much cheaper alternative, Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C Serum. This product received an “Excellent” 100/100 rating from Yuka. Your skin and your wallet will thank you: Drunk Elephant’s serum is $79.00 while Mad Hippie’s serum retails for $17.99.
Eye Creams:
CeraVe’s Eye Repair Cream may be another pass, with a “Poor” rating of 39/100. It contains phenoxyethanol. Repeated exposure to phenoxyethanol may cause developmental toxicity, which can affect the blood, liver, and fertility.
Try out Cocokind’s Revitalizing Eye Cream, free of harmful parabens, with an “Excellent” rating of 100/100.
Sunscreens:
Sunscreen is arguably the most important step of a skincare routine. So it’s important to be using the right one. The Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Sunscreen Face Lotion with SPF 30 received the lowest rating of this list, with a “Bad” rating of 0/100.
Don’t worry, there are still many clean alternatives, including Native’s Mineral Unscented Sunscreen and First Aid Beauty’s Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, both with an “Excellent” score of 86/100.