Banished Ingredients
Reading ingredient labels matters to us, and we know how much time it takes. One ingredient list can take an hour to understand, and most people we know don't have that hour. You shouldn't need a chemistry background to shop for your face, your body, or your family.
So we read the labels for you. Before a product comes into the SOLUDE store, we review its full ingredient list against the standard below. It has two parts. Banished covers the ingredients we choose to leave out. Some are here because research has raised real questions about them, some because they can irritate skin, and some simply because better options already exist. Allowed with Conditions covers ingredients we accept only in certain forms, amounts, or product types, with the condition spelled out for each one.
This list is here to give you clarity, not worry. Our standard grows as the research does, and we review it regularly.
Banished
These ingredients stay out of the products we carry. They are grouped by family and listed alphabetically within each group.
Preservatives
Benzalkonium Chloride
A strong antimicrobial used in some cleansers, wipes, and sanitizers. It is a known skin and eye irritant, especially for sensitive skin.
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
A synthetic antioxidant used to keep oils from going rancid. This is not the same as the plant BHA, or beta hydroxy acid, you may see in exfoliating serums.
Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Releasers
Formaldehyde is a known irritant and sensitizer, and some preservatives slowly release small amounts of it to keep products fresh. Names to know include bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol), DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, and quaternium-15.
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate (IPBC)
A preservative that can irritate skin and contains iodine. Its use is limited in some regions, especially in products for the face and lips.
Isothiazolinones (MIT and MCI)
Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone are preservatives linked to a sharp rise in skin allergies over the past decade. Europe no longer allows them in leave-on products.
Japanese Honeysuckle Extract
Often marketed as a natural preservative, some versions behave much like parabens in a formula. We prefer preservatives with clearer labeling.
Parabens
Preservatives studied for their ability to mimic estrogen, which matters to many women paying attention to hormone health. We leave out the whole family, including methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, isobutyl, isopropyl, and benzyl parabens.
Triclocarban
An antibacterial agent used in some bar soaps and closely related to triclosan. The FDA removed it from consumer antiseptic washes in 2016, and plain soap does the job.
Triclosan
An antibacterial agent restricted by the FDA in hand soaps. It has been studied for hormone effects, and plain soap does the job.
Fragrance and Solvents
Butoxyethanol
A solvent found mostly in cleaning and some personal care products. It can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs.
Diethyl Phthalate (DEP)
A plasticizer often hidden inside the word fragrance. Phthalates have been studied for their effects on hormones and reproductive health.
Phthalates
A family of chemicals used to make fragrance last and plastics flexible. They are rarely listed on labels by name, which is one more reason we read carefully.
Synthetic Flavors
Lab-made flavorings in lip products and supplements. We look for natural flavors or none at all.
Toluene
A solvent found mainly in some nail polishes. Its fumes can irritate the eyes and airways, and we prefer nail products made without it.
Surfactants and Emulsifiers
Ethanolamines (MEA, DEA, TEA)
Ingredients used to adjust pH and create foam. They can react with other ingredients to form nitrosamines, which we prefer to avoid.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS, SLES)
Strong foaming cleansers that can strip natural oils and leave skin and scalp feeling tight or irritated. Gentler plant-based cleansers, like glucosides, clean well without the harshness.
Sunscreen Filters
Avobenzone
A chemical UVA filter that can break down in sunlight and is absorbed through the skin. We prefer mineral filters like non-nano zinc oxide.
Benzophenones
A family of UV filters and stabilizers that can be absorbed through the skin. Questions about how they may affect hormones led us to look for alternatives.
Homosalate
A chemical sunscreen filter that can be absorbed into the body. Regulators in Europe have lowered its allowed concentration, and mineral filters are a simple swap.
Octinoxate
A chemical UV filter that can be absorbed through the skin and has been studied for hormone effects. It has also been restricted in some places to protect coral reefs.
Octocrylene
A chemical UV filter that can slowly break down into benzophenone as a product ages. Mineral filters avoid that question altogether.
Oxybenzone
A chemical UV filter found in the body after use and studied for estrogen-like activity. Mineral sunscreens are our preference.
Colorants and Pigments
Bismuth Oxychloride
A pearly mineral filler common in powders. Many women find it itchy or irritating, particularly on sensitive or acne-prone skin.
Coal Tar
Crude coal tar is a coal byproduct used in some dandruff treatments and older hair dyes, and it can make skin more sensitive to sunlight. Certified color additives are a separate topic, covered under Allowed with Conditions.
Resorcinol
Used in hair dyes and some acne products. It can irritate skin and has been studied for effects on thyroid function.
Metals and Minerals
Boric Acid
A mild antiseptic and pH adjuster. Its use in cosmetics is restricted in several countries, and it is best kept away from broken skin.
Mercury and Mercury Compounds
Still found in some imported skin-lightening creams and a few eye products. Mercury can build up in the body and has no place in skincare.
Talc
A mineral powder that can be contaminated with asbestos when it is not carefully sourced. Talc-free powders perform just as well, so we choose those.
Other
Bisphenol A (BPA)
A compound used in some plastics and can linings that can mimic estrogen in the body. We look for packaging made without it.
Cyclic Silicones (D4, D5, D6)
Cyclotetrasiloxane, cyclopentasiloxane, and cyclohexasiloxane give products a silky, fast-drying feel. They linger in the environment, and Europe now restricts them in personal care products.
Hydroquinone
A skin-lightening agent used for dark spots. It can irritate skin, and long-term use has been linked to a bluish darkening of the skin called ochronosis.
Mineral Oil
A petroleum-derived oil that coats the skin without feeding it. Plant oils and butters offer moisture plus nutrients.
PFAS and PTFE
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including PTFE, are sometimes added to makeup for slip and long wear. They break down very slowly and can build up in the body and the environment, so we leave them out.
Allowed with Conditions
These ingredients are not banished, but we accept them only under the condition listed for each one.
Collapsible content
1,4-Dioxane
1,4-dioxane is never an ingredient. It is a trace byproduct that can form when some ingredients are made through ethoxylation, so we manage it through the Ethoxylated Ingredients and PEGs conditions below.
Aluminum Compounds (Aluminum Hydroxide, Aluminum Powder)
Allowed in makeup as pigment, shimmer, or texture helpers, and as part of mineral clays. We pass on the aluminum salts used in antiperspirants.
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
Allowed in small amounts as an antioxidant that keeps the oils in color cosmetics from spoiling. Each product is reviewed case by case.
Borax (Sodium Borate)
Allowed only as a source of the trace mineral boron in oral supplements. Not allowed in skincare, makeup, or body care.
Carbon Black
Allowed in eye and color cosmetics, such as eyeliner and mascara, where it gives a true deep black. Not used in skincare.
EDTA
Allowed in small amounts as a stabilizer that helps keep a formula fresh. Each product is reviewed case by case.
Ethoxylated Ingredients
Ingredients made with ethylene oxide, such as polysorbates and names ending in eth (like myreth or ceteth), can carry traces of 1,4-dioxane. We allow them only in small amounts, reviewed case by case, and favor formulas without them when a good alternative exists.
Fragrance
Allowed only when it comes from natural sources, such as essential oils or natural fragrance blends, or when the brand fully discloses what is in it. Undisclosed synthetic fragrance is not allowed.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Allowed as a plant extract in small amounts. Some commercial grapefruit seed extracts have been found to contain added synthetic preservatives, so we review each one case by case.
Nanoparticles
Not allowed in cosmetic sprays or loose powders, where tiny particles could be breathed in. Allowed in supplements and oral care, where smaller particle size can support absorption or how the product works.
PEGs (Polyethylene Glycol)
PEGs are a type of ethoxylated ingredient and follow the same condition: used in small amounts and reviewed case by case.
Phenoxyethanol
Allowed at 1% or less, the limit set in Europe and Canada. It is a preservative that helps protect water-based formulas from mold and bacteria.
Retinol and Retinoids
In skincare, synthetic retinoids and retinyl palmitate are banished. Plant alternatives like bakuchiol and sea fennel are welcome, and vitamin A in supplements is treated as a nutrient.
Synthetic Colorants (FD&C, D&C, and Lakes)
Mineral, plant, and food-derived colorants are welcome. FD&C and D&C colors and their lakes are allowed only in color cosmetics such as lip, cheek, and eye products, never in skincare or supplements.
Titanium Dioxide
Welcome in pressed, cream, liquid, pencil, and lip formulas. Not allowed in loose powders, which are easier to breathe in.
How We Choose Supplements
Supplements follow their own standard, because something you swallow works differently from something you apply. We choose practitioner-grade brands, and we look for third-party testing for purity and potency where brands provide it.
We describe what a supplement may support based on its ingredients, and we avoid claims we can't verify. A supplement is not a replacement for care from your own practitioner, so check with yours before starting something new, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.
Curious how your own routine lines up?
A note on trace contaminants: no product can be guaranteed completely free of every trace substance. Tiny amounts of some compounds can occur naturally in plant and mineral ingredients or form during manufacturing, even when no one adds them. Our standard covers what brands choose to put in their formulas.
This list reflects SOLUDE's curation choices and is shared for education only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition.