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Parabens are a large group of preservatives which are used to prevent bacteria growing in cosmetic formulations. There has been some healthy controversy surrounding them due to a few studies finding paraben presence in breast tumours and breast tissue. However, the majority of the scientific community have deemed these findings non-conclusive due to the limitations of these studies. There's still a lot of support for avoiding parabens following the better safe than sorry route. If you do we completely support you! If you are concerned about the health safety of parabens, then feel free to avoid them by looking out for the Paraben-Free icon. If not, don't worry about it - they do have had one of the longest safety records as preservatives!

Which Ingredients are classified as Paraben?

A product will be paraben-free if it does not contain any of the following parabens:

• Sodium Isobutylparaben
• Sodium Ethylparaben
• Sodium Butylparaben
• Propylparaben
• Isopropylparaben
• Isobutylparaben
• Sodium Propylparaben
• Butylparaben
• Ethylparaben
• Sodium Methylparaben
• Methylparaben

Sulfates are a large group of ingredients which act as cleansing agents in Cosmetics. They help loosen up the dirt and grime from your skin and hair to allow for water to wash it away with ease. However some sulfates are so good at their job, they can wash off your skin’s own natural oils that keep it moisturised and protected which can lead to dryness and irritation. Most people will find no issues with sulfate, however if you find your skin doesn't like sulfates then free feel to avoid them by looking out for the sulfate-free icon on Skincarisma.

Which ingredients are classified as sulfates?

We've taken the Sulfates which are considered more harsh for our Sulfate-Free status. A product will be Sulfate-Free if it does not contain any of the following Sulfates:

• TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
• Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• PEG-15 Cocamine
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
• Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
• Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
• Ammonium Xylenesulfonate
• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Xylenesulfonate
• Sodium Myreth Sulfate
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate

Alcohol ingredients are widely used in cosmetics and come in different types. For the most part alcohols are not problematic at all. However one type of alcohols, simple alcohols can be quite drying to the skin because it evaporates very quickly. This can cause irritation which can also lead to other skin complications. These alcohols should never be used alone on your skin, but combined with other cosmetic ingredients, they are normally without issue. However, for some people with sensitive and easily irritable skin, avoiding products with these simple alcohols may be beneficial. If you find your skin doesn't like these simple alcohols, then free feel to avoid them by looking out for the Alcohol-Free icon.

Which Ingredients are classified as Alcohol?

A product will be alcohol-free if it does not contain any of the following alcohol ingredients:

• SD Alcohol
• Alcohol Denat
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Alcohol

If you've ever used a skincare, makeup or beauty product that's made your skin look and feel smoother tempoarily - it's likely contained Silicone. They are a popular class of ingredients found in cosmetics due to their smooth, soft, easy-to-spread and smooth properties that help creates an artificial layer/barrier on top of skin or hair (commonly found in conditioners).

For the same reasons they are popularly used, they are also commonly avoided. Anecdotally, many individuals have reported that Silicones cause/excerbate breakouts, irritation, cause a feeling of skin being unable to breathe, cause clumping of cosmetic products and find it difficult to wash off. As a result, those who find them problematic are avoiding them and increasingly, cosmetic companies are avoiding them as well.

If you have had bad experiences with Silicones in the past, or suspect they are problematic then look out for the tick on the Silicone-free label.

Disclaimer

The Silicone-free label only includes the most common Silicone ingredients that have indentified been reported by individuals that could potentially cause issues.

These include: Amodimethicone, Behenoxy Dimethicone, Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Cetearyl Methicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Copolyol, Dimethiconol, Methicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Stearoxy Dimethicone, Stearyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone.

Note, that this does not include all ingredients part of the Silicone class of ingredients.

The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has identified and established 26 cosmetic ingredients that are likely contact allergens (potential to cause skin allergies) as demonstrated in clinical or epidemiological studies. The EU's SCCS have recommend cosmetic companies to disclose them on the labels if used and in cases where the concentration exceeds 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products, then they must be labelled.

Look out for the tick on the EU-Allergen free label to know your cosmetic is free from any of the 26 identified cosmetic ingredients.

For more information regarding the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, please visit their official website.

Disclaimer

The EU Allergen Free label is for the 26 ingredients identified by the EU SCCS and products will be only flagged if a suspected ingredient is on it's ingredient list. It is possible for cosmetics to contain one of the suspect ingredients without it appearing on the ingredient list due to it not reaching the concentration threshold to disclose it and cosmetic manufacturers choice to not disclose it.

Also note, the EU Allergen Free label is not personalized for your own allergies you may have and it does not constitute as medical advice. For your specific case, always consult your medical professiona such as dermatologist, physician, pharmacist, or health care provider - please read our medical disclaimer for more information.

Pityrosporum Folliculitis/Malassezia folliculitis or simply known as Fungal Acne is a persistent acne-like condition that commonly responds poorly to traditional acne-treating methods. Unlike most cases of Acne where bacteria is the culprit, Fungi is the culprit of Fungal Acne (Hence the name!). There are certain classes & groups of ingredients that have been shown to promote and feed the growth of the Fungal Acne, Fungi such as fatty acids, oils, esters, polysorbates and fermented ingredients.

For more information regarding Fungal Acne, please visit Simple Skincare Science (f.c) - #3 of our Recommend Skincare Resources for an amazing comprehensive guide!

Please Read: How to use the Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Label

At SkinCarisma, we've done our best to identify as many ingredients as possible but note the fungal-free label may not be 100% accurate due to the complexconditions and combination of ingredients that malezzeria can thrive on.

Additionally, products that may contain ingredients that have shown to feed Malassezia may not neccessarily exacerbate the condition due to concentration of ingredient used in the product, this information is simply not available on the products.

As a result, please note this is only an experimental label that can be best used to possible identify problematic products you have used in the past. It is in no way a perfect identifier nor a predictor in whether or not it will exacerbate or cause fungal acne. It will continue to be worked on as more information and research comes to light.

If you find any ingredients you believe should be included, please email us at [email protected].

Disclaimer

Due to the lack of substantial research into this area it is very likely there are other ingredients and class/groups of ingredients that could feed Fungal Acne which have not been indentified.

The Fungal-Safe label does not constitute as medical advice. For your specific case, always consult your medical professiona such as dermatologist, physician, pharmacist, or health care provider - please read our medical disclaimer for more information.

When it comes to skincare, sometimes less is more. Those with sensitive skin may prefer minimal ingredient products to reduce the chance of so many ingredients triggering a bad skin reaction.

Product with 15 or less ingredients are classified as minimal ingredient products.

Cruelty-Free brands refer to brands that do not engage in animal testing. (Note: This is different from vegan products and animal ingredient free products)

We've kept the definition simple. Cruelty-Free brands will generally have approval from one (or more) of the following organizations:

• Leaping Bunny (US & International)
• Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA)
• Japan Anti-Vivisection Association (JAVA)