Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Neutrogena Natural’s Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover: Is it really a natural cleanser or are they just playing dirty?



Hi sweeties! I’ve been pretty busy getting back to the full-time job routine now that I’ve been okay’d to go back to work from my surgeon. Getting things ready for my fall semester of teaching has been a whirlwind, so I’m super excited that I was finally able to find some time to sit down and do some fun research! The first product I’m blogging about today is Neutrogena Natural’s Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover. I bought mine from Target and was thrilled to read on the front that it was free of parabens and harsh chemicals. I’ve been using it for about two months now and can say that my sensitive skin loves it! It leaves it feeling soft and smooth and has a really nice scent. Usually soap makes my face tight and dry and can even irritate my eyes, but this cleanser doesn’t affect me at all. So, it gets my thumbs up for the overall purpose of the product, but what about what’s on the inside? That’s what counts, right? I cross referenced each ingredient with the EWG Skin Deep database and have pasted the ratings below, because that’s what I promise you guys. My unbiased review AND its rating on EWG. Saves you from having to do the time consuming legwork that energizes a research nerd like me! :)



Now, you may remember from my past posts that I don’t use products (knowingly) that have an overall rating of 4 or higher.  When I looked this facial cleanser up I was surprised! It’s ranked at a 5! That’s a LOT higher than I had expected given that Neutrogena touts on the bottle that its free of harsh chemicals and parabens. So what gives? Well, it has a fragrance which always gets a high rating due to its allergen potential. But it also has some funky ingredients that give me pause.

There is however a bit of concern for me with the addition of Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine because of the possibility of a contamination concern with “nitrosamines”. This nasty little addition has been found to be highly carcinogenic which is a huge no-no for me. Benzyl Alcohol was another no-no as it has been classified as toxic or harmful especially for use around the mouth (European Union - Classification & Labeling). Yikes! This definitely gets used around my mouth! So unfortunately, even though I LOVE the way the product works, I’m just not thrilled with its makeup (pun intended!). Once this bottle is finished, I plan on looking for another face wash that can assure me that these particular ingredients (if they even use it) are organic in nature and therefore would not be linked with a possibility of contamination.

What do you like to use? Comment below and be entered to win some great freebies! Stay sweet!

Ingredient
EWG Skin Deep Rating
Water (Purified)
0
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
0
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
3 (contamination concerns)
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
4 (allergen & contamination concerns)
Glycerin
0
Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
0 (but there no data is listed in EWG)
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
0
Coco-Glucoside
0 (but there no data is listed in EWG)
Glyceryl Oleate
1 (skin irritant)
Glycol Distearate
1
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
1
Caprylyl Glycol
1
Acrylates Copolymer
2 (contamination concerns)
Potassium Sorbate
3 (allergen)
Benzyl Alcohol
5 (especially for use around the mouth)
Fragrance
8 (allergen)

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