It may be helpful to understand how some of these ingredients may affect your skin. Mineral oil and petrolatum do an excellent job of locking in moisture, but products in which mineral oil or pe t ro latum is the main ingredient can make your skin feel greasy or sticky, clog pores, and trap perspiration. Silicones and plant oils are often used as alternatives.

Vitamins in moisturizers can p ro mote healing. That's been proven with vitamin C. Vitamin E's healing proper-ties are in dispute, though an entire generation of moms claim there's nothing like the gooey contents of a vitamin E capsule for protecting and healing small cuts and scrapes.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) support skin moisture and elasticity. You can take them orally or as ingredients in skin products.They are found in many plant and animal oils, including fish, emu, flaxseed, borage, primrose, vegetable, coconut, and grapeseed. You may see EFAs on cosmetic labels as linoleic or alpha-linoleic acid.

It may sound strange to learn that propylene glycol is the main ingredient in car antifreeze.In lower concentrations it's also a humectant that helps keep your skin, as well as your moisturizer, from drying out. It's highly toxic if you drink it, but the small amount in cosmetics is believed to be harmless when absorbed through the skin.

Parabens, an ingredient that is usually prefaced by methyl-, propyl-, ethyl-, or butyl-, are the most common cosmetic preservatives used in the United States.They are generally considered safe for external use, though a recent study has linked breast cancer to parabens in underarm deodorants.

Special Care for Sensitive Skin

If your skin is sensitive, you may be drawn to products labeled "hypoallergenic."The list of ingredients identified as potential irritants or toxins that can be absorbed through the skin is long, but the FDA and the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association consider FDA-app ro ved substances safe as used in cosmetics.

Though hypoallergenic products may indeed contain fewer ingredients likely to cause sensitivity or allergic reactions, the FDA requires allergy testing of all products sold as cosmetics. A partial list of ingredients that can irritate the skin or cause allergic reactions includes lanolin (which is derived from sheep's wool), glycerin, sunscreens, plant extracts, urea, lactic acid, fragrance, parabens, formaldehyde, even aloe vera.

Oddly enough, aloe vera is also considered an anti-irritant. Other anti-irritants include allantoin, licorice ro ot, glycyrrhetinic acid, green tea, vitamin C, chamomile extract, and willow bark. Aloe vera in moisturizers might not be concentrated enough to do much good. Look for pure aloe vera gel and mix it with your moisturizer or use it separately.

Avoiding Sun Damage

You may have thought that simply getting older is the reason your face ages. Certainly, chronological aging leaves its mark on your face. But the truth is that the single most powerful force working to alter your smooth, healthy skin is sun exposure. It's estimated that 80 percent of aging of the skin is caused by the sun. Sun causes photoaging or premature wrinkling as well as blotches, broken blood vessels, dryness, and thinning.

The ultraviolet (UV) rays do the damage, and there are two types. UV-A rays gradually and invisibly weaken collagen, the protein-rich supporting layer that keeps your skin firm, supple, and wrinkle-resistant. UV-B rays cause burning and tanning and set the stage for skin cancer.

Sunlamps and tanning beds also damage the skin, and many doctors believe that tanning pills are harmful as well.They may cause yellow deposits to form in the retina. Indoor tanning lotions are the safest way to brown your skin, and today's products won't turn you orange as early products did, but they don't usually contain sunscreen so you'll have to layer some on over the tanner.

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