12 Toxic Ingredients to Stay Clear of In Skin Care Products - GoodRx (2025)

It’s natural to want to look your best while staying healthy. Many skin care products on the market claim they can help your skin look great. Some products contain ingredients that, on the surface, seem beneficial. But hidden ingredients, like preservatives, may actually irritate your skin and harm the environment.

Avoiding potentially toxic skin care ingredients isn’t as easy as it sounds. Skin care products don’t need FDA approval before they are sold in stores. Manufacturers are legally required to make sure they’re using safe amounts of chemicals in their products. But that doesn’t always mean that ingredients can’t affect your health.

Some ingredients may not be harmful in small amounts but may be harmful when used in higher concentrations or used consistently over a long period of time. Other products may be fine for some people but trigger allergic reactions in others.

And figuring out what’s in your favorite skin care products isn’t always easy. You have to read the fine print on ingredients labels. To make things a little easier, we list 12 toxic ingredients you may want to avoid, especially if you have sensitive skin or are prone to skin allergies.

1. Aluminum

Aluminum is a metal used in cosmetics for its astringent (skin cleansing) and antibacterial properties. It’s also a common ingredient in antiperspirants.

Aluminum is known to cause skin irritation, and experts recommend limiting unnecessary exposure to aluminum to avoid potential harmful long-term health effects.

There’s also environmental impacts to consider. Aluminum mining is linked to increased deforestation and water pollution.

You can find aluminum on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• Alum

• Alumina

• Aluminum

• Colorant “lakes”

2. Benzalkonium chloride

Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is used widely as a preservative in cosmetics, personal care products, soaps, and detergents. It has antimicrobial properties that keep bacteria, fungi, and viruses from contaminating your personal care products. This is crucial for keeping products sterile and safe to use.

But BACs are known skin and eye irritants, and can trigger allergic reactions. If you’re prone to allergies, you may want to avoid BACs in your skin care products.

BACs also affect the environment and have been linked to antibiotic resistance.

You can find benzalkonium chloride on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides

• Alkyl dimethyl (phenylmethyl) quaternary ammonium chlorides

• Ammonium alkyl dimethyl (phenylmethyl) chlorides

• Ammonium alkyl dimethyl benzyl chlorides

• Quaternary ammonium compounds

3. Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a preservative and isn’t common in skin care products. But chemicals that release formaldehyde are common in personal care products. Formaldehyde-releasing compounds can be found in hair, nail, and skin care products, especially nail and eyelash adhesives. These compounds can cause skin irritation and trigger allergic reactions.

Formaldehyde exposure is associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. Formaldehyde-releasing products only give off a very small amount of formaldehyde, but experts are still concerned that even this small amount could affect people’s health.

There are efforts to ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing compounds from personal care products. But until these compounds are banned, check the ingredients list for these names:

• Quaternium-15

• DMDM hydantoin

• Imidazolidinyl urea

• Diazolidinyl urea

• Polyoxymethylene urea

• Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate

• 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol)

• Glyoxal

4. Methylisothiazolinone

Methylisothiazolinone is a preservative in skin and hair care products. It’s widely used in skin care wipes. Methylisothiazolinone has antimicrobial properties even at low concentrations, which keeps bacteria and fungi from growing in shampoos, gels, and hair and skin care products.

But in 2013, it was named “Allergen of the Year” because it can cause significant skin irritation and allergic contact dermatitis. You may want to avoid methylisothiazolinone if you have sensitive skin or are prone to rashes and contact dermatitis.

You can find methylisothiazolinone on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• Methylisothiazolinone

• KathonⓇ (mixture of methylchloroisothiazolinone with methylisothiazolinone)

5. Parabens

Parabens can be found in skin and hair products and cosmetics. Parabens are made from oil and prevent bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing inside these products.

But your skin will absorb parabens when you use a product that contains them. Since parabens are made from oils, they readily pass through the skin and get into the rest of the body. Parabens have been linked to a phenomenon known as “endocrine disruption.” That means they may affect hormones including estrogen, androgens, and thyroid receptors.

Both the cosmetic industry and the FDA have stated that the amount of parabens in any single personal care product is low and is safe for use. But parabens aren’t very biodegradable. They can last a long time in the environment. So even though the amount in each product may be low, over time, large amounts can build up in the environment and potentially increase people’s overall exposure. Avoiding parabens may help your health in the short term and everyone’s health in the long-term.

You can find parabens on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• Artificial fragrances and perfumes

• Abbreviations that have “ethyl,” “butyl,” and “propyl”

• Parabens

6. Plastics (bisphenols, phthalates)

Plastics are everywhere, including in your cosmetics and other personal care products. Bisphenols and phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals and can be absorbed by the skin and into the body.

Research has shown that people who use personal care products that contain bisphenols and phthalates have higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies. Once in the body, these chemicals can bind to hormone receptors and affect health.

There’s a movement to ban phthalates from personal care products. But for now the best way to avoid plastic by-products is to look for them in ingredients labels. Phthalates may be labeled as:

• Diethyl phthalate (DEP)

• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

• Dimethyl phthalate (DMP)

7. P-phenylenediamine

Para-phenylenediamine or p-phenylenediamine (PPD) is a chemical that’s commonly used in black hair dye and temporary black henna tattoos. It’s known to trigger allergic contact dermatitis. Many people experience allergic reactions after as little as two uses.

Studies have also shown that PPD can cause skin damage even in cases where people aren’t allergic to it.

You can find para-phenylenediamine on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• P-phenylenediamine or paraphenylenediamine

• 4-phenylenediamine

• Phenylenediamine

• P-diaminobenzene

• 4-aminoaniline

• 1,4-benzenediamine

• 1,4-diaminobenzene

8. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a collection of chemicals that have been used in many products ranging from firefighting foam to clothes. PFAS have been identified in hair products, hand sanitizers, and makeup removers. They’re also known as “forever chemicals” because they can take thousands of years to break down in nature.

PFAS can be absorbed through the skin. Long-term PFAS exposure has been linked to liver damage, endocrine disruption, and other health concerns. Scientists are still learning how PFAS can affect health over the course of a lifetime.

PFAS were included in so many products for so many decades that they’ve built up in the environment and drinking water. So even if you avoid skin care products that contain PFAS, you may still be exposed to them.

Avoiding products that contain PFAS not only helps you stay healthy, it also helps the environment and keeps future generations safe from exposure, too.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances can be found on skin care ingredients list under many names. You can view a list on the FDA website.

9. Propylene glycol

Propylene glycol is a chemical commonly found in medications, cosmetics, personal care products, and fragrances. It helps products penetrate the eyes and skin. This can be a good thing. After all, some products work best when your skin absorbs them.

But it can trigger allergic contact dermatitis in some people. This tendency earned propylene glycol the title “Allergen of the Year” in 2018. Fortunately, most people don’t have skin reactions when exposed to propylene glycol. But you may want to avoid propylene glycol if you have sensitive skin or noticed a new rash after using a skin care product.

You can find propylene glycol on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• 1,2-butanediol

• 1,2-dihydroxypropane

• Methyl ethyl glycol (MEG)

• Methyl ethylene glycol

10. Oxybenzone

It's important to wear sunscreen to prevent skin damage and lower your risk of developing skin care. But you want to use the right type of sunscreen. Some chemical sunscreens contain oxybenzone, which can get absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin.

Researchers aren’t sure whether oxybenzone harms someone’s health once it’s been absorbed into the body. But it has been linked to endocrine disruption. You may want to opt for another type of sunscreen, like zinc-oxide-based sunscreen, until there’s a clear answer.

Oxybenzone can also impact the environment. It’s been linked to coral reef damage.

You can find oxybenzone on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• Benzophenone-3

• BP3

• Uvinol M40

• Eusolex 4360

• Escalol 567

• Milestab 9

• Kahscreen B2-3

11. Sodium lauryl sulfate

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a chemical that acts as a surfactant. It helps capture dirt and impurities from the skin surface so you can easily rinse them off. But some surfactants can trigger allergic reactions. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to avoid these products and opt for other types of cleansers.

You can find sodium lauryl sulfate on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• Sodium lauryl sulfate and the laureth/pareth sulfate group

• Cocamidopropyl betaine and the betaine/sustained group

• Cocamidopropyl betaine

• Dimethylaminopropylamine

• Oleamidopropyl dimethylamine

• Alkyl glucosides

• Quaternium-15

12. Triclosan

Triclosan is a chemical that has antimicrobial properties. In September 2016, it was banned from soap products following the risk assessment by the FDA. But, it’s still found in toothpaste, mouthwash, and hand sanitizer.

Triclosan is readily absorbed through the skin and gums, where it can pass to the rest of the body. It has been linked to endocrine disruption in humans. It’s also been linked to cancer in animals.

You can find triclosan on skin care ingredients list under the following names:

• 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol

• Trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenylether

• 2,4,4’-trichloro-2’-hydroxydiphenyl ether