With the vast number of cosmetic products available, it is often a challenge to know which product is best for your skin.
This difficulty is exacerbated for those who are sensitive or allergic to ingredients frequently used by the cosmetics industry.
If you know which ingredients tend to be the most troublesome, you will likely avoid any serious negative reactions.
The best way to protecting yourself is to favor hypoallergenic products as these are free from ingredients that have been found to irritate sensitive skin.
Hypoallergenic products are labeled as such to make them easy to identify, and are available in all different forms of creams, gels, lotions.
Stay away from products that contain paraben, a preservative used in many products to inhibit the formation of bacteria and mold.
Paraben-free skincare products are generally much less irritating to a wider range of skin types.
There are many different kinds of parabens that are included in cosmetic products.
The downside to these chemicals is that they mimic the female hormone estrogen which is implicated in the development of breast cancer.
For this reason, paraben-free skincare is advisable for all, irrespective of your skin's sensitivity.
Due to the negative attention paraben has received, manufacturers that do not use the chemical have begun to advertise this by labeling their products as paraben-free.
This makes choosing such products easier for consumers.
Some negative effects of the chemical beyond what has already been discussed include:

• Possible risks to the fetus for expecting mothers.
  
• Infertility in men.
  
• Mothers nursing male progeny are at risk of providing their child with too much estrogen due to paraben's similarity to that hormone.
  

The most hypoallergenic products are those made from plant-based ingredients.
To make sure that the products you use are safe, here are some added precautions you may take:

• Methylparaben, propylparaben, isoparaben, and butylparaben are all parabens.
  Avoid these.
  
• If the label says nothing about parabens, check the manufacturer's website to see what you can find.
  
• If doubt persists, contact the manufacturer to ask about their ingredients.
  

There are a handful of reputable companies that make hypoallergenic skincare products that use less dangerous preservatives and improved packaging to ensure their products are both safe and have a long shelf-life.
For more information on paraben-free skincare, visit www.
HealthandSkinCareSite.
com.
Here you will learn more on this and other skincare topics.