Is less really more? What leaving it out does to your skin

Charcoal masks, ash soaps , rose water , special serums or even stronger active ingredients such as niacinamide or natural salicylic acid are trendy and promise you beauty or even eternal youth. The market has countless products to offer, depending on your taste, conventional, clean or natural cosmetics . But let's be honest: is it really healthy? And when is it too much for the skin? Or are more potent active ingredients in skin care perhaps necessary?

It is often suggested that you should definitely do a lot to get your skin problems under control and to avoid getting older. The market has a miracle cure for every little problem. However, having lots of bottles with all kinds of active ingredients in the bathroom cabinet is quite expensive in the long run and also makes your daily routine really exhausting. On the internet, on Instagram or YouTube, you are told everywhere that your routine should consist of 10 or more different steps.

If you put a lot of products on your skin, then they probably contain a lot of ingredients that can irritate your skin. Trendy skin care products in particular are often particularly harmful to your skin. It's best to stay well away from irritating products because you want to take care of your skin and not harm it.

For example, there are fragrances: These are not exactly skin-friendly, but unfortunately they are found in almost all skin care products. In conventional cosmetics, they are usually perfumes, with a variety of names. In natural cosmetics, they are essential oils that replace synthetic fragrances. All types of fragrances can make the skin sensitive and trigger contact allergies . So remember: If a care product smells floral, then it contains irritating fragrances.

And what about alcohol? Alcohol is often used in natural cosmetics as a preservative. Are alcohols bad for the skin? Not all alcohols are a problem. You should only avoid drying alcohols. These should not be used in your skin care because they remove moisture from your skin and irritate sensitive skin. A detailed article on alcohols is in the works.

Flower hydrolates, such as rose water, are a hybrid of alcohol and fragrances. Flower hydrolates not only smell wonderful, they are pure and plant-based, and at first glance that sounds very healthy. That is why there is a lot of confusion about them - especially among fans of natural cosmetics. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that flower water can provide moisture and have nourishing properties for the skin. Pure water, on the other hand, is often decried as a filler.

Unfortunately, the opposite is the case: water is very mild and many active ingredients and extracts dissolve wonderfully in it. Water in your skin care is therefore much more than just filler.

Extracts and active ingredients can also be dissolved in flower waters. So, at first glance, it all sounds very good. But we're sorry: Unfortunately, flower hydrosols of any kind, whether naturally obtained, organic or conventional, are very irritating to your skin. This is because all flower hydrosols contain essential oils and drying alcohol. And as if ingredient lists on skin care products weren't complicated enough: flower hydrosols make it even more difficult for us, because alcohols and essential oils cannot be found in the ingredient list. They don't have to be labeled because they occur naturally in flower water. If you want to know more about it, then read our detailed article about rose water here .

Water contains no alcohol or fragrances. This makes water the milder solution. Distilled water is always used in cosmetics. This is germ-free and therefore very gentle on the skin. If you would like to use plant-based ingredients, you can use products with plant juices. For example, aloe vera juice or green tea contain natural active ingredients that have a positive effect on the skin. Green tea, for example, works against inflammation and regulates sebum production.

When cleaning, surfactants (washing substances) come into play. You need these so that you can gently wash dirt, sunscreen or even make-up off your skin. Some surfactants are very harsh. This means that they have a very strong effect and dry out your skin and remove too many good fats from it in the long run. Your natural fat protects your skin from losing too much moisture. Particularly sensitive skin reacts very strongly to strong cleaning products. Redness and irritation can occur, which in the long run makes your skin barrier even more sensitive. It is better to look for a cleaning product with very mild surfactants. By the way, soaps contain very harsh surfactants and damage your skin's protective layer. This is why you should avoid soap if possible.

If you leave out the ingredients mentioned above from your skin care routine, you will be doing your skin a lot of good.

And then there are a few substances that can be irritating, especially for sensitive skin. And to be on the safe side, it is recommended that you avoid these substances as well.

There are a few things to consider here too. Some people react very sensitively to plant oil on their skin. Very oily skin types, for example, cannot necessarily cope with every oil. Sometimes oily or sensitive skin cannot tolerate plant oils at all. This is because oil contains not just one ingredient but also a lot of natural vitamins, minerals and different fatty acids. This sounds very healthy at first. And it is: However, these components can also cause irritation. It is therefore important that you use the right plant oil for your skin type. This is the only way you can really do something about your dry skin, dandruff, itching or redness. When it comes to plant oils, make sure you check whether it is a seed oil, kernel oil, pulp oil or flower oil. Like the flower hydrolates mentioned above, pulp and flower oils contain naturally occurring essential oils that are fragrances. And these can irritate your skin. Here you can find out more about plant oils and their advantages and disadvantages .

So please only apply kernel or seed oils to your skin. Vegetable oils are found in many skin care products or can be bought pure. Always be aware that a few drops of pure oil are already a lot of care for your skin. You can easily do too much here. Only very, very dry skin can tolerate larger amounts of oil. This is why ointments and rich creams are better for very dry skin. The same applies to night creams, which are often enriched with a variety of different rich vegetable oils.

PEGs (polyethylene glycol) are often found in conventional skin care products. They act as an emulsifier and combine oils with water. They are also used as plasticizers and binding agents. They are very popular in the beauty industry because they improve the consistency of a product.

PEGs are not used in natural cosmetics and are not permitted by natural cosmetics seals because they are derived from petroleum. This is bad for the environment and not necessary because there are now a number of natural alternatives. It is not yet fully clear whether PEGs are harmful to humans. Perhaps more light will be shed on this in the next few years. PEGs are suspected of making the skin more permeable. As a precaution, you should therefore avoid them, especially if you have sensitive skin.

You should now decide for yourself whether you want them in your skin care or not. If it turns out at some point that they have no negative impact, you will not have done anything bad for your skin by leaving them out. If the harmful effect on the body or skin is confirmed, then you have taken good precautions and protected your skin well. And it is better for the environment to avoid PEGs anyway.

Parabens are synthetic preservatives. They work excellently against all types of germs and ensure that your skin care has an extremely long shelf life even after opening. Parabens do not have a good reputation: you have probably heard that parabens are harmful and have a negative effect on the hormonal system. But is there any truth to this?

There is evidence that parabens could affect the hormonal system . Whether this applies to humans is currently unclear. However, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, some parabens are considered safe because the low amounts in cosmetic products cannot have a harmful effect on your hormonal system.

However, some parabens are banned, and others have recently been partially banned in baby products by the EU Commission. For some parabens, the permitted concentration has been severely restricted.

You should decide for yourself whether you want to expose your skin to parabens. There are much more harmful substances for your skin. But remember: If you use several products, you may end up with more parabens on your skin. There are now a lot of products on the market that do not contain parabens.

Real natural cosmetics do not contain parabens. All products are naturally preserved. The only disadvantage: While parabens make cosmetic products last for an extremely long time, this is not the case with natural cosmetics. Natural cosmetics usually only last for around 6 months after opening. You are the best judge of whether this is a limitation for you. You will probably have used up your skin care products in around 3-6 months.

You can also see it as a plus point: only buy what your skin really needs at the moment. Only open products when you are going to use them. This way you throw away much less and it is much more sustainable for our environment.

One more tip: When buying natural products without parabens, always look closely at how they are preserved. Drying alcohols are often used in combination with essential oils for preservation, which, as mentioned, can be very damaging to your skin.


Many other ingredients, such as microplastics, silicones, Vaseline, uncertified palm oil , etc. are simply not necessary. They don't necessarily harm your skin, but they do harm the environment. If you can avoid them, then leave them out so that we can all enjoy our planet for a long time to come.

Make sure that your skin care has a pH value between 5 and a maximum of 7. This will help soothe your skin in the long term and reduce redness and inflammation.

But why is the pH value so important in skin care ? You have an acid mantle on your skin that protects you every day from bacteria and viruses. These can cause inflammation. Even if your skin comes into contact with water, your pH value can change after washing. With water, this is not so bad. There is harder and softer water: This also affects the skin, but basically the skin manages to shift back to the slightly acidic spectrum. It is different if you clean your skin with alkaline products such as soaps or if you bathe in alkaline salts. Soaps and other alkaline products attack the natural acid mantle and your skin becomes more susceptible to viruses and bacteria that can cause inflammation. If your skin care has a naturally acidic pH value, you are playing it safe and inflammation can be largely avoided. So in future look for skin care that has a pH value between 5-6, because the average natural skin is 5.5.

As you can see, there are many ingredients and products that you can eliminate from your skincare routine. However, it can be quite complicated to pay attention to all of this when shopping. So here's an extra tip : If you use fewer products that contain as few ingredients as possible, it's easier to keep track of them and you don't overwhelm your skin.

• Many products irritate your skin
• Fragrances such as perfume and essential oils irritate the skin and can cause allergies
• Many alcohols are drying
• Flower hydrolates naturally contain fragrances and drying alcohol
• Avoid harsh surfactants in your cleaning
• You should choose plant oils according to your skin type. If you have very oily skin, it is better to avoid oils
• PEGs are suspected of making the skin more permeable.
• Parabens are suspected of having hormonal effects
• Alkaline products destroy the protective layer of your skin
• With fewer products and ingredients, you have more overview of your skin care