Best (and Worst) Nontoxic Antiaging Creams and Eye Lifting Products

Originally published on Mamavation: April 11, 2023

Are you looking for the best nontoxic antiaging products to help you look and feel younger without all those pesky toxins? If that’s your goal, you’ve come to the right place. Mamavation evaluated over 80 products and ranked them based on ingredients to help make your nontoxic shopping easier.

You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best dental floss without PFAS “forever chemicals,” best nontoxic shampoo and conditioners, and best nontoxic peel-off facial masks, now join us for the best (and possibly worst) antiaging creams (aka wrinkle cream) and eye lifting products to prevent signs of aging.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post also contains affiliate links.

The Antiaging Aisle Is Full of Problematic Chemicals

As we get older, the skin on our neck and face begins to loosen up and part of that elasticity of youth disappears. This is when we start to see the appearance of fine lines, crow’s feet, and wrinkles forming around our eyes and mouth. While there are no magic creams that will get you looking like a teenager again, you can find safe nontoxic products that can reduce fine lines, hyperpigmentation, etc.

As Mamavation evaluated the ingredients of over 80 antiaging beauty products, we noticed some issues with brands using ingredients that are linked to cancer, skin irritation, immune system problems, and other issues. Is that the price you have to pay to look younger? Absolutely not. There are plenty of products that use safer ingredients that we will introduce you to at the bottom of this investigation.

Chemicals to Avoid in Antiaging Creams

Go to your best drugstore and walk down those aisles and I bet you’ll find a myriad of antiaging products recommended by board-certified dermatologists that have ingredients linked to skin irritation, cancers, and other types of problems. What is a girl to do? Well to start, here are some ingredients you want to avoid when you are browsing for that perfect antiaging cream.

Fragrance — “Fragrance” is either made from petroleum or botanical raw materials or both. It also contains ingredients like solvents, stabilizers, UV absorbers, preservatives, phthalates, and dyes. These types of chemicals vary in toxicity. But there is lots of mystery surrounding “fragrance” in personal care products.

Companies that make perfume buy chemicals from other companies called “fragrance houses.” This means it is possible for a brand to not even know the fragrance chemicals inside their own product. However, as companies and states are moving toward fragrance ingredient disclosure, this is slowly starting to change. The biggest problem is the mystery because no one has any idea what is inside the word “fragrance.”

Phthalates — Phthalates are another class of ingredient that is also hormone-disrupting and found in most conventional skin-aging products. Phthalates are commonly used as a solvent (a liquid that can dissolve other substances) and fixative (a substance that can help the fragrance last longer on the skin) inside fragrances.

The most common phthalate inside fragrance is diethyl phthalate (DEP) and it’s considered toxic by the Toxic Substances Portal of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The trade name of this chemical is also known as neantine, palatinol A, and solvanol.

Phthalates are lined to health impacts like obesity, and hyperactivity in children, and the kicker is infertility in men by degrading sperm quality. (In other words, wearing fragrances with phthalates around young boys is a problem.) In fact, phthalates are so problematic to male fertility, they are being restricted in places like China. Phthalates, although worse for men, is also problematic for women.

Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) — Vitamin A is essential to a healthy body, however, the synthetic version called retinyl palmitate when applied to the skin and then exposed to the sun is linked to skin damage, cancers, irritation, and sensitivity.

In animal studies, mice that had retinyl palmitate lotion rubbed on their skin and then were exposed to UV rays had faster tumor formation at very low doses. Scientists found vitamin A can spur excess skin growth, known as hyperplasia when exposed to sunlight. This could ironically be increasing cancer risk.

Ethoxylated ingredients — Ethoxylated ingredients are generally of low concern on their own. However, they can be contaminated with ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, and 1,4-dioxane, reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. They may also be linked to organ toxicity and reproduction toxicity.

Polysorbates — Polysorbates are another type of ethoxylated ingredient we wanted to tell you about. They are widely used surfactants in biopharmaceutical formulations and also used as an emulsifier in cosmetic creams, lotions, and skin-aging creams, etc.

In other words, it is used to help mix oil and water. Polysorbates are not problematic on their own, but when they used for cosmetic reasons, they are treated with ethylene oxide. Products treated with ethylene oxide frequently have traces of 1,4-dioxane which is a carcinogen.

Harsh preservative combos — Although sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are safer preservatives used by lots of natural products, when you combine them it’s excessive in personal care products. Our advisors do not recommend this specific mixture of preservatives.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone — These chemicals are preservatives. Some of the hazards they pose include being an irritant to skin and to lungs when inhaled, skin allergies, especially when both are found in the same product, plus possible neurotoxicity and organ toxicity has been shown in lab studies. Most people don’t know if they or their children are allergic to these chemicals.

Parabens — These are very harsh preservatives used in many personal care products that may lead to hormone disruption because they mimic estrogen. The European Union banned these chemicals in 2012. The most controversial study found traces of five different parabens in the tumors of 19 out of 20 breast cancer patients. Make sure to avoid: Methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, and isopropylparaben.

Sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate — SLS and SLES are surfactants. Even when naturally derived, they can be harmful. The Journal of the American College of Toxicology has shown that they can be an eye or skin irritant. There is also debate on whether or not SLS is a human carcinogen; other research indicates it may damage the environment. Both can be harmful to the environment.

Formaldehyde releasers — In personal care products, formaldehyde can be added directly to the product OR it can be released from preservatives inside the product. Chemicals that release formaldehyde over time are referred to as formaldehyde releasers. These chemicals prevent microbes from growing in water-based or aloe vera-based products, but are also linked to cancer and allergic skin reactions.

Formaldehyde releasers are chemicals like quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, polyoxymethylene urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bronopol) and glyoxal.

Trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2 — This peptide is a reaction product of trifluoroacetic acid and Tripeptide-2(q.v.) and is known to contain PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Chemicals That Enhance Other Chemicals:

Disodium EDTA — This chemical is not problematic on its own, but it’s important to know that it will increase the effect of other chemicals inside the formula. Disodium EDTA acts as a booster to enhance the absorption of the product. Therefore, when you see this chemical, look around at what else is inside the bottle. Disodium EDTA will make other chemicals absorb more efficiently into the skin.

Alcohols — Alcohols are also another booster to enhance the absorption of the other chemicals in the products. So again, when you see alcohol, make sure you are also okay with the other ingredients. Alcohol will make the other chemicals absorb more efficiently into the skin.

Ingredients Found in Safe Antiaging Products

So what type of ingredients should you be looking for in safe antiaging products? Here’s a list of the safest ingredients that you will find in most of the products we recommended below.

Amino-peptides — Carrier peptides, signal peptides, collagen-stimulating peptides, enzyme inhibitor peptides, or structural peptides

Glycolic acid

Hyaluronic acid (or sodium hyaluronate)

Shea butter

Squalane

Niacinamide

Vitamin C

Retinol (for those who do not have sensitive skin)

Bakuchiol (similar to retinol but without the skin irritation)

Additional Mamavation Personal Care Investigations You May Love

Mamavation has ranked thousands of personal care products looking for hormone-disrupting chemicals, irritants, cancer-causing chemicals, and allergens. Here are some of the investigations we have done on other categories of personal care products:

Makeup

Lotion

Hand cremes

Soap and body wash

Liquid hand soaps

Sunscreens

Nail polish

Face wash and moisturizers

Hair styling products

Hair dye

Deodorant

Dry shampoo

Shampoo and conditioner

Shampoo bars and conditioner bars

MLM companies

Toothpaste

Dental floss

Mouthwash

Toilet paper

Head lice treatment products

Hair relaxers

Peel-off facial masks, sheet facial masks, and K-beauty facial masks

Beard oil

Self tanning products

Mamavation’s Investigation on Antiaging Creams and Products

Mamavation ranked over 80+ antiaging products like wrinkle creams, peptide complexes, treatment oils, eye lifts, and firming gels. Products were separated into three categories: “Not our favorite,” better, and best categories. All categories are based on ingredients linked to hormone disruption, cancer, irritation, and organic toxicity.

About the Author

Leah Segedie is the President and Founder of Mamavation.com. Mamavation produces award-winning content and independent consumer studies examining the intersection of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and everyday products brought into American households. She’s been referred to by many as “the real FDA.”

Since 2008, Mamavation has been helping everyday moms navigate the grocery store by commissioning consumer studies on food, beverages, personal care products and other such products and thus democratizing science and testing for everyone.