With so many moisturizers, creams and lotions to choose from, ranging from the various natural options that have recently hit the market to the older and more familiar choices that have been around for years, making the right choice can be dizzying. How can you make the right choice? Here is some information that will, hopefully, serve to guide you through the maze of seemingly endless choices and options and confusing ingredients, and guide to you to make the right choice for you and your skin type.

Firstly, let’s clarify the purpose of a moisturizer. All moisturizers, to some extent, serve to provide a barrier preventing moisture loss from the skin. Good moisturizers will also serve the purpose of delivering a hydrating effect to the skin, replenishing or encouraging the skin’s natural oil balance. When skin is healthy, its protective outer layer (which is composed largely of lipids) keeps moisture in and harmful elements, such as bacteria and other “bad” stuff, out. But when this layer is damaged, moisture escapes, which can result in irritated, dry or flaky skin. This is when a good moisturizer can be exceptionally helpful.

When choosing a moisturizer, it is important to choose one that is free of synthetic preservatives, fragrances and dyes. Many companies, even those that tout themselves as providing an all-natural line, use ingredients that have been linked to skin irritation and dryness, as well as various skin diseases such as cancer. Therefore, it is important to learn which ingredients are potentially harmful and can actually contribute to and cause the skin problems you are trying to avoid. There are many ingredients that I would suggest avoiding (if at all possible), but let’s take a look at three.

Petrolatum: This ingredient, also known petroleum jelly, is a common ingredient in moisturizers and lip balms. Often used because it is incredibly inexpensive, petroleum jelly has no nutrient value and can actually interfere with the body’s own natural moisturizing abilities. Use of petroleum jelly, ironically, often leads to chapping and drying (ever had the experience of using lip balms incessantly? when it seems that, no sooner than you have used your lip balm, you are reaching for it again? That’s the petroleum jelly at work).

Parabens: Parabens are commonly used in skin care products for their preservative properties. It is important for creams and lotions to have a preservative because any product containing water is vulnerable to bacterial infection. But methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl paraben have all been linked with allergic reactions, skin rashes and various other skin problems and diseases, and many of the research studies are pointing more and more to its toxic nature. In addition, studies also have shown that the parabens are weakly estrogenic and therefore can disrupt your body’s proper hormonal functioning.

Synthetic Fragrances: The FDA not regulate any ingredient labeled “fragrance” in skin care products. Basically this means that companies can call any chemical they use scent a product as “fragrance.” The synthetic fragrances used in cosmetics can have as many as 200 ingredients and there is absolutely no way to know what the chemicals are. Some problems caused by these chemicals include skin irritation, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, rash, changes in skin coloration, violent coughing. Unfortunately the only way to protect yourself is to only buy from companies that provide a detailed list of each ingredient in each product, and avoid those companies that simply use the word “fragrance.”

As a whole, I’d suggest avoiding moisturizers that use any of these three ingredients, and to choose companies that include ingredients that you can pronounce and sound familiar. In addition, it is really helpful to pay close attention to how “your body feels” when you use certain products. We all have different constitutions, sensitivities, allergic reactions as well as individual preferences. Often, your body will provide information as to whether the product is working for you, so I recommend that you test your skin and body’s compatibility with all skin care and cosmetic products and suggest that you experiment with various products to determine which positively affect your mood and body.