What Ingredients To Avoid For Dry Skin

When the topic is dry skin, we often speak about the many causes of it, as well as the products and treatments that can help to relieve and rescue dry skin, to restore radiant, healthy-looking skin.

So when it comes to the go-to products and solutions for dry skin, the answers are somewhat easy to find, all it takes is a good old Google search. But, while we may be well-versed in the products and ingredients to look out for to help treat dry skin, knowing what ingredients to avoid for dry skin is a different story.

At Vaseline, we want you to have the full picture when it comes to ways to heal dry skin, so that you can give your skin the best care, so that it can be its beautiful best. Which means you need to be in the know about the skin care ingredients you should avoid if you have dry skin. So read on as we unpack the skin care ingredients list to reveal the ways you may be contributing to your dry skin, so that you can begin to restore your skin, the right way.

Ingredients To Look Out For

What are the dry skin ingredients to look out for?

Unless you’re new to dealing with dry skin, you probably already know that the best remedy to relieve dry skin is through moisturisation and avoiding the elements that can lead to dry skin. As dry skin is the result of a loss of moisture in the outer skin layer, replenishing the moisture that’s been lost is essential to restore healthy-looking, hydrated skin. So, the ingredients to avoid are the ones that further strip away moisture from your skin.

To help you on your journey to your best skin yet, here’s a list we’ve compiled of the main skin care ingredients to avoid to keep your skin looking fabulous.

Caring for Dry Skin: 4 Ingredients to Avoid

1. Denatured Alcohols

Denatured alcohols are a popular product when it comes to skin care as they are known to give a wonderful cooling and refreshing sensation to the skin. However, if you have dry skin, denatured alcohols are not your friend as they can be dehydrating to skin and prolonged use can dry your skin out and trigger skin sensitivity and irritation.

2. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate or SLS is another popular skin care ingredient used mainly in products like body washes, shampoos and cleansers. While SLS can be an effective cleansing agent, it is also a harsh detergent that can irritate and dry out skin. So the next time you see it on the ingredients list, consider giving that product a miss.

3. Fragrance

While we all love a good scent in our skin care products, if you have sensitive or dry skin, it’s an ingredient you should avoid. Products with fragrances in their formulation can aggravate existing skin issues because your skin considers the fragrance to be an irritant. So while smelling nice is great, restoring soft, smooth, moisturised skin is better!

4. Salicylic and Glycolic Acid

Salicylic and glycolic acid are excellent exfoliators that are generally found in skin care products for acne-prone or oily skin, to help manage oil production and cleanse clogged pores, respectively. While these exfoliators can help you manage an oily skin type, on dry skin, these ingredients will make your skin even drier and may even cause peeling.

Ways of Restoring Dry Skin

What skincare ingredients are good for dry skin?

We’ve mentioned how the best way to rescue dry skin is with some deeply moisturising care. Fortunately, with Vaseline’s range of nourishing lotions and creams, moisturising your skin is made simple! So now that you know what ingredients can worsen dry skin, let’s shift our focus to the ingredients that are good for dry skin, and the products you can find them in to restore gorgeous, glowing skin.

1. Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly)

Occlusive ingredients like petrolatum work wonders for dry skin as they help to seal moisture in, helping to hydrate and restore dry skin. So if it wasn’t already part of your skin care arsenal, add our Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly to your beauty kit to relieve dry skin.

2. Fatty Alcohols

Not to be confused with denatured alcohols, fatty alcohols, like cetyl and cetearyl alcohol are helpful for people with dry skin, thanks to their skin smoothening properties. So when you see any of these two alcohols in your moisturiser’s ingredients list, like with our Vaseline Clinical Care Extremely Dry Skin Rescue body cream, you know it’s a winner!

3. Glycerine

Humectants, like glycerine, are important ingredients for dry skin as they help to draw water into the skin. So try our Vaseline Intensive Care Dry Skin Repair Body Lotion, uniquely formulated with our Barrier Repair Complex - a combination of Vaseline Jelly, glycerine and pro-lipids - to strengthen your skin's barrier and give you long-lasting hydration.

Now that you have the information on what ingredients are good for dry skin and which ones to avoid, go forth and get the right products – like those in our Vaseline range – and get going on your journey to fabulous skin.