The aging process will take its toll on our whole body and our skin is generally the first place we notice this change. In fact, the aging process not only increases the appearance of wrinkles and ages spots on our face, but it also makes our skin thinner and more brittle.

This is why skin care creams for maturing skin should be gentle. A good option is the use of natural skin care products, however, it may a little difficult to choose the right, natural skin cream because not all products contain ingredients that can be considered gentle enough or soothing enough for sensitive skin.

Because ingredients such as petrolatum and propylene glycol are by-products of petroleum, they are considered to be natural. However, they can irritate older skin. Here is a short list of some products that you should avoid if you want to use the most natural products.

Ingredients that should not be found in Face Creams

The most important ingredient to avoid is alcohol in all of its forms except cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates skin and can cause irritation. Make sure that the product you choose does not contain alcohol in its first five ingredients.

Parabens are another harmful ingredient that you can find in many natural skin creams. Even though they serve an important purpose (suppressing microbial formation in creams), parabens have been linked to irritation. They have also been linked to more severe problems such as cancer.

Ureas are also an ingredient to watch out for. Both imidazolidinyl and diazolidinyl urea can cause inflammation. They are widely used in skin products because they are inexpensive.

Synthetic colors and unnatural fragrances are usually known as coal-tars that can lead to cancer. Synthetic fragrances can also alter hormonal production which means you should always look for products that are fragrance-free and not unscented. Don't be fooled by products saying that they are unscented because this only means that they have used other components to mask the smell of the product's ingredients.

The Good Ingredients: Look for them in Your Skin Care Cream

There are a couple of key ingredients that are very beneficial to have in your skin care product. If at all possible, you should prefer products that contain these ingredients over products that don't, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Rose hip oil has been known to help treat dry skin and scar tissues. It is a very gentle ingredient that can be used in its oil form or in skin care products, and what's best is that it has a low viscosity, which allows it to absorb quickly into the skin.

Another wondrous natural oil is rose hip seed oil. It helps soothe irritated skin and helps moisturize dry skin. In fact, it is a great addition to any skin cream for aging skin.

Licorice root extract is a very soothing ingredient. It may appear as glycyrrhizin on the product labels. If you are worried that this ingredient may cause irritation or produce allergic reactions, then you should do a patch test before trying it on your face.