The latest beauty + anti aging skin care buzz from benir. — ingredients to avoid in skincare


The secret to chemical free skin care.

We see the words "chemical free" used liberally  to insinuate a more "natural" and therefore healthier skin care product for the consumer. If it's chemical free it must be good for us, and superior to other products, right?  How many times at the cosmetic counter have you heard the phrase, "this cream (or serum) is chemical free?"

Here's the catch...everything we touch, breathe, taste and absolutely every ingredient in your favourite skin care is made up of chemicals....

Chemicals to avoid in skin care.

We always recommend avoiding products that contain petrochemicals. Here's a list of things to look for...

Petrochemicals and why you should avoid them.

Petrochemicals can be found in a wide range of products, from lipsticks & cosmetics to the skin care products we use daily on our face and bodies. At benir we avoid these ingredients as much as possible.  Not only do they offer no value to the benefits provided by popular brands, they may actually have a negative downside. 

Petrochemicals are derived from oil (petroleum) and have been shown to disrupt our bodies endocrine system (the system of glands responsible for hormone production), and can be carcinogenic (linked to cancers). They are primarily used as a cheap filler in cosmetics, although they offer no real benefit to the consumer.

Take a look at the chart below (courtesy and then check your products for the listed ingredients.  We can't make the decision for you, but we would highly recommend avoiding products if they contain theses ingredients in the top half of the ingredient list, or multiple petrochemicals are being used in the formulation.

And of course at benir, our formulations are full of active and beneficial ingredients not petrochemical fillers.