The One Ingredient You Don't Want To See In Your Moisturizer

Moisturizers and other skin care products often contain a laundry list of ingredients, some of which can be damaging to your skin. In fact, some of your favorite moisturizers and face creams may be doing you more harm than good. That's why it's important to know which ingredients to look out for, so you can try to avoid buying products that are made with them (via Well and Good).

While there are many potentially harmful substances out there that you might want to avoid using on your skin, one of the most common ingredients in skin care products is artificial fragrance. Artificial fragrance is what gives many moisturizers and creams their unique scent, which is used to help mask the smell of the rest of the product's ingredients. Although this might seem harmless enough, artificial fragrances are actually made up of a mixture of hundreds of harsh chemicals, many of which can potentially wreak havoc on your skin.

Artificial fragrance is considered an irritant. That's because it can aggravate the skin, causing it to become red and inflamed after coming into contact with it (via Real Simple). According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, fragrance is one of the leading causes of contact dermatitis. It has also been shown to trigger or worsen other skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, and may even cause an allergic reaction.

"Although it doesn't reverse the effects of the intended benefit of the product, fragrance can be very irritating, even if you're not allergic to the chemical," Dr. Debra Jaliman, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, told Real Simple. "This can come out as redness, itching, hives, and eczema flareups."

While anyone can potentially experience any of these symptoms and side effects, they tend to be more common among those with sensitive skin. So unless you have sensitive skin or another skin condition, there's no real need to avoid moisturizers and other products with fragrance until you experience a reaction. However, it's always best to look for products that don't contain any fragrances and have a relatively short list of ingredients.