Preferences

• Organic Ingredients: Using skin products made of plant derived ingredients that are gown without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers and often come with an Organic certification.
• Paraben Free: Compound formed of acid and alcohol and widely used preservative in cosmetic and personal care to extend shelf life. Paraben Free products use natural preservatives that can be less damaging to your health.
• Alcohol Free: Widely used as solvents, carriers and astringents considered as an antiseptic, antiviral and antibacterial. Can be irritating and drying to sensitive skin but can help for oily and acne prone skin.
• Antioxidants: The ability of a chemical or ingredients to block the damaging effects of free radicals. Found typically in anti-aging products, most common antioxidants are vitamin E, vitamin C and green tea.
• Chemical Free: Product is safe, healthy or environmentally friendly because it contains natural ingredients.
• Fair Trade Ingredients: Fair trade is a social movement whose goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions to promote sustainable farming. Members of the movement advocate higher pay as well as improved social and environmental standards.
• Formaldehydes Free: A colorless pungent irritating gas used in aqueous solution as a disinfectant and preservative. Skin reactions are very common because the chemical can be both irritating and allergy producing.
• Fragrance Free: Implies that a cosmetic has no perceptible odor and is without added scent or perfume. Products labeled Fragrance free may still contain small amounts of fragrances to mask unpleasant smells.
• Gluten Free:  Gluten is a protein that naturally exists in wheat, barley and rye. In skincare and makeup gluten can be found in products that contain oats for skin refinement and nourishment or as a source of vitamin E (a stickiness/holding agent) Some people have an intolerance to gluten and may have a skin reaction.
• GMO Free: GMO stands for genetically modified organism. GMO is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques created in a laboratory. Scientists, consumers and environmental groups have cited many health and environmental risks with foods and products containing GMO’s.
• Green Packaging: Development and use of packaging which results in improved sustainability, reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint.
• Herb-Infused: Method in which dried herbs or fresh herbs that have chemical compounds is infused or placed in a solvent to extract beneficial elements and then added to a product.
• No Artificial Color: Colours are natural rather than synthetic with no counterpart in nature (artificial)
• No Artificial Fragrance: Fragrance is natural rathe than synthetic. Most artificial fragrances are derived from petroleum and include carcinogenic and other toxic chemicals.
• No Chemical Preservatives: A chemical that is added to products to prevent decomposition, microbial growth or undesirable chemical changes. Can be irritating to sensitive skin and to the environment.
• No Mineral Oils: A colorless and odorless oil that is made from petroleum (a by product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline) long used as a common ingredient in lotions, cream and cosmetics.
• No PEG: Polyethylene (petroleum ingredient) is commonly used in cosmetics as cleansing agents, emulsifiers, skin conditioners and surfactants. PEG compounds have been found to open the pores of the skin enabling environmental toxins to more easily enter the body. May cause irritation, skin sensitization or allergic reactions with sun exposure.
• No Petrochemicals: Chemical obtained from petroleum and natural gas.
• No Silicones: Silicone is a cheap man-made slippery polymer that gives products a silky, spreadable texture that is also water-resistant. It can trap debris in your pores causing acne and congestion, interfere with cell renewal, make your skin dull and dehydrated and block other ingredients from absorbing.
• No Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: A soap like harsh compound that lathers easily, used in laundry detergents, cleaning products, shower gels and shampoos. It is a known skin and eye irritant, toxic to groundwater, emits toxic fumes when heated, highly polluting and is used as a pesticide and herbicide.
• Non Comedogenic: Product is made without the substance that promotes acne and blackheads. Usually oily or greasy ingredients that block hair follicles causing bacteria to breed and lead to localized inflammation or infection.
• Oil-Free: Skin care products that do not contain any type of oil that may contain a breakout if you are prone to acne.
• Organic: Created from ingredients which have been certified organic by one of the certifying institutions. An Organic ingredient is formally an ingredient which has been harvested without the use of synthetic chemical compounds.
• Paraffin Free: A waxy, white solid consisting of a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons, obtained by distillation from petroleum and used in cosmetics or skincare.
• Petrolatum Free: Petrolatum is a translucent jelly consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons (crude oil)
• pH Balanced: pH is a measure of how acidic a water-based solution is. Since our bodies are mostly water, pH can be used to describe how much acid is in fluids. The pH scale ranges from 0-14. pH lower than 7 is acidic, higher than 7 is basic or alkaline and a pH of 7 is neutral meaning there is balance between acid and alkalinity.
• Salicylic Acid: A beta hydroxy acid that can help to dissolve skin debris that clogs pores (exfoliate) It can help prevent acne, resolve and prevent blackheads and whiteheads, and help to unclog pores to resolve and prevent lesions.
• Sulfates Free: Sulfates are an aggressive detergent and are what make shampoos turn into a thick lather. This ingredient has can cause fizziness and damage colored hair as well as cause irritation to the skin and scalp.
• Vegan: Vegan friendly skincare eliminates all animal-derived ingredients including bees wax, honey, yogurt and lactic acid and gelatin derived from animal collagen. It is made from plants and minerals as well as safe synthetic ingredients and is free from animal testing.
• Vegetarian: Does not contain any animal part but can contain ingredients that are animal bi-products or produced by an animal for example, beeswax is vegetarian but not vegan.
• Water Resistant: Product remains itself for a certain period when the skin becomes wet. It can resist the penetration of water to some degree but not entirely.
• Long-wear: Product will remain on the skin for a certain period for example, a concealer that will last throughout the day without moving around much or smudging.
• Sun Protection: A number assigned to a sunscreen or cosmetic product that is the factor by which the time required for unprotected skin to become sunburned is increased when the sunscreen is used (SPF)
• Waterproof: Impervious to water.
• Hypoallergenic: Reduces or minimizes the possibility of an allergic response by containing relatively few or no potentially irritating substances.
• SLS/SLES Free: Free of sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium pareth sulfate which are widely used inexpensive chemicals used in many cosmetic products for their cleaning and emulsifying properties.
• No BHA: A non-natural preservative that can be irritating.
• No Camphor: A waxy flammable white or transparent solid with a strong aroma.  Believed to be toxic to insects and is this used as a repellent. Is easily absorbed through broken skin and can reach toxic levels in the body.
• No DBP: Common chemical ingredients in nail polish and most synthetic fragrances. Used as a plasticizer, fragrance stabilizer and in plastic packaging.
• No Formaldehyde: Can be found in nail polishes, hair gels, makeup and shampoos among other products. It can cause skin irritation and can be toxic to the health.
• No Toluene: Toluene is a toxic chemical used in nail products and hair dyes. Exposure can result in temporary effects such as headaches, dizziness and cracked skin.
• Solvent Free: A solvent is a liquid that is used to dissolve a substance to form a solution. A substance that contains little or no solvent causes little environmental pollution.
• No Phenoxyethanol: Phenoxyethanol is a toxic preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medication. It can have adverse affects to the central nervous system.
• Sodium Chloride Free: A colourless crystalline compound occurring naturally in seawater.
• Kid-Safe: Products safe to be used for or around a child.
• 100% Pure: Does not contain harsh detergents, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances that can irritate skin and are perfect for sensitive skin 

Concerns

• Acne prone skin: Pores easily clog and you either have very dry or oily skin that breaks very easily. Acne prone skin indicated a skin which is likely or liable to suffer from, or experience breakouts triggered by factors including poor diet, hormones and genetics.
• All skin types: A product suitable for normal, dry, dehydrated, oily, combination and aging skin.
• Allergenic skin: Skin that produces an abnormal response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat of an ingredient that would otherwise be harmless to the body.
• Anti-aging:  A product that contains ingredients to help reduce, mask or prevent signs of skin aging by maintaining its elasticity and smoothness.
• Dry/Combination skin: Skin can be dry is some areas and oily in others such as the T-zone (nose, forehead, and chin)
• Dull Skin: Skin that lacks radiance or glow, related to issues of uneven skin texture or tone.
• Environmentally stressed: Factors such as pollution, harsh weather, UV rays, smoking, stress and diet can damage skin causing epidermis to lose its balance and normal function. Products for environmentally stressed skin are high in Vitamin C and rich nourishing oils which protect skin form the elements.
• Irritated/peeling skin: Skin that is damaged from the sun or sufferers of rashes, itching and dryness.
• Mature skin: With age the skin`s sebum production slows down, often leading to increased dryness, accentuation of fine lines and wrinkles and flakiness. Skin may appear dull.
• Normal/Combination: Skin can be normal is some areas and oily in others such as the T-zone (nose, forehead, and chin)
• Oily/Combination: Skin can be oily with large pores and dry and flaky on cheeks and under eyes.
• Sensitive skin: Skin is prone to itching and irritation from change of weather, stress, dust and can be easily sensitive to some skincare ingredients.
• Skin detox: A regimen or treatment intended to remove impurities from the skin.
• Sun damaged skin: Also known as photo damage or photo aging include wrinkles, fine lines, age spots and changes in skin texture due to exposure from the sun.
• Uneven skin tone: Also called hyperpigmentation is irregular darkening of the skin due to overproduction of melanin (the pigment responsible for skin and hair color) Brown spots and uneven skin tone develop as a result of too much melanin produced to help protect skin for UV light.
• All skin types (*): When this category appears, it represents all except for one or more skin types.
• Congested skin: Congested or clogged skin is skin with large pores and blackheads and is caused by a buildup of dead skin cells. Regular, gentle exfoliation is recommended.
• Loose skin/ Cellulite: Loose skin can be caused by aging and can affect the jaw, neck, eyelids and other parts of the body. Cellulite dimpled, lumpy skin and usually affects buttocks and thighs. Occurs when fat deposits push through connective tissue beneath the skin.