The aging process will eventually take its toll on our bodies and it's on our skin that we first notice any real changes. As a matter of fact, the aging process not only increases the appearance of wrinkles and ages spots, but it also makes our skin more fragile and brittle.

This is why you should use gentle skin care creams for maturing skin. A good choice for mature skin is the use of natural skin care products, however, you should be very careful when choosing a natural skin cream because some products contain ingredients that aren't always considered gentle or soothing.

Because ingredients such as petrolatum and propylene glycol are by-products of petroleum, they are considered to be natural. Nevertheless, they can be irritating to mature skin. Here are other products that you should avoid if you want to use the most natural products.

Ingredients that Shouldn't be Contained in Face Creams

One of the ingredients you should try to avoid is alcohol in all of its forms except cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Alcohol is known to dehydrate your skin and cause irritation so if you do purchase a product that contains this ingredient, make sure that it does not appear among the first 5 ingredients.

Parabens are another ingredient that should be banned from natural skin creams. Although parabens serve an important purpose in the make-up of some creams, they have also been known to produce irritation and even cancer.

Another ingredient you should keep an eye out for are ureas. Both imidazolidinyl and diazolidinyl urea can cause inflammation. They are widely used in skin products because they are inexpensive.

Synthetic colors and fragrances are usually coal-tars that can lead to cancer. Synthetic fragrances can alter hormonal production. Always look for products that are fragrance free and not unscented as unscented products use other components to mask the smell of the product's ingredients.

Ingredients you DO want in Your Skin Care Cream

There are a couple of key ingredients that are very beneficial to have in your skin care product. If at all possible, you should prefer products that contain these ingredients over products that don't, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Rose hip oil is infamous for treating dry skin and scar tissue. It is a very gentle ingredient that can be used directly in its oil form or in skin care products. It has a low viscosity, which allows it to absorb quickly.

Another wondrous natural oil is rose hip seed oil. It helps soothe irritated skin and helps moisturize dry skin. As a matter of fact, rose hip oil is an excellent ingredient in any skin cream for aging skin.

Licorice root extract is a very soothing natural ingredient that, oftentimes, appears listed as glycyrrhizin on the product labels. If it concerns you to use this, or any other natural product on your skin, you should do a patch test before trying it on your face.