I think my big deal-breaker is scent: if it’s too heavy,
too synthetic, or obnoxiously floral or a putrid naturally occurring scent… I cannot tolerate it. I don’t want to smell my face all day long.
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Irritants like alcohol denat., menthol, fragrance (unless it’s the very last thing on the ingredients list and not overpowering ), meaningless or downright harmful gimmicks like gold. And as a sidenote I think it’s simply amazing how many very expensive skincare products are packed with these, yikes!
I also tend to avoid jar packaging, and anything that’s too fragile or fussy to throw into my checked baggage for flights.
Rarely do I have a skincare dealbreaker products, but like everyone if I stumble on one that it breaks me out, it’s out. Also, like you, if it’s a lip or face product that smells too much like petroleum (chemical-like), then I’ll throw it away (or return it if I can.) Lastly, this isn’t a dealbreaker, but I prefer not to facial care products that are thick or tacky
I also don’t care for added scent. And I dislike when certain skin care products heavily strip my skin, but I just avoid that stuff, or something that leaves a weird film on my skin.
Scent – if it’s obnoxious mostly. Doesn’t matter the scent.
Deal-breakers for me are: anything that doesn’t have a pump/I have to dip my finger in, anything with fragrance or other harsh ingredients, and anything containing plastic microbeads. I’m very stuck in my ways when it comes to skincare, and I don’t experiment very much except to add additional moisturizing products in the wintertime.
I agree with Christine about scent being the number one deal-breaker. I use mostly unscented skin care products for face and body. The only skin care product I like that has a noticeable scent is Estée Lauder DayWear moisturizer, which has a nice, light, cucumber scent that disappears as the cream soaks into my face. The only scented body lotion I use is one that matches the perfume I’m wearing, often instead of wearing the actual perfume itself.
Anything that has either mineral oil or coconut oil in it – they both clog my pores and make me break out. Strongly scented skincare is a huge deal breaker for me, too, especially if it’s floral. Certain scents trigger migraines for me, so I’m very careful about the skincare that I buy!
Price. Enough said.
Anything that makes me breakout or it’s strong enough to burn my skin, I toss right away. If I know a face product’s scented, I won’t buy it; I’ve had instances where I didn’t know until after purchase but the product works well for me so I use it up but I won’t repurchase. On price — since skin care matters more to me than makeup, I’ll spend whatever for highly effective products but then will look for lower cost, equally effective alternatives.
My skincare is detergent, alcohol, & petroleum-free, and has been for nearly 7 years. Not only has my skin never looked better, I spend well under $100 USD a year. My “routine” skincare products come from health-food stores, but I do experiment with different sunscreens, but even those *must* still be petroleum-free, and I do prefer physical sunscreens. My nighttime routine is actually more important to me, and I do tend to scrutinize ingredients more, and have found a few products I don’t stray from.
I have drier skin, and have never been prone to breakouts, so I’m able to use a lot of different oils, which I do really like.
I agree on strong scents. I also don’t like skin care products that feel like they’re sitting on the surface of my skin instead of settling in. This is especially true for anything I put on my hands. I do beadwork and I don’t want lotion or whatever getting all over my beads.
Skincare is very difficult. It takes so much time to determine if a product is working for you and most of us stop using the product if any of their deal breakers are in the formula. So, I guess for me it is the effectiveness. I will put up with a lot of things if the product works and I will put up with nothing if it doesn’t. In a perfect world I would not have harmful chemicals, scents, weird colors or packaging. However, I have used all of the above. I think that I have pretty normal skin and it isn’t super reactive to scents and such. I will not use harsh abrasives or anything with microbeads because that is about the economy. For me the real factors are effectiveness and cost. I don’t have a never ending budget so some things are not available to me.
Hours later I read my comment and see that I wrote “economy” and I meant the ecology of our planet!!
scent,alcohol, irritating/sensitizing extracts like menthol, peppermint, fragranted essential oils e.t.c
Anything that aggravates my somewhat sensitive skin or eczema! Or even more distressing: if it breaks me out. I’ve got some fairly temperamental skin, it has patches of eczema, rosacea and even at 58 y.o., it can breakout with deep, painful, gross acne zits. So, I have to be very careful with skincare products.
Another deal-breaker is added fragrence. Yuck! I am somehow able to deal with the wet, moldy sock scent of Sunday Riley UFO, though! And the citrus scent of Ole Henrikson Truth Serum, too. Unfortunately, the only shampoo that ever got my scalp eczema under control, Neutrogena T-Sal, removed the masking fragrance, so it now stinks of pure chemicals! ?
The only absolute dealbreaker for me is scent. Even if not strong, if I find it unpleasant (I am thinking Fresh Soy Cleanser), the product is a no for me. For my slightly oily skin and product pileup I need a cleanser with some power in it so nothing creamy. I also avoid products that are tacky and not easily absorbed and which just sit there. And for sunscreen, no whitish cast.
Scent and price.
PRICE is a big deal breaker for me Charging $60 for 3oz of moisturizing cream is ridiculous. You can find effective and safe skin care for much much less. That’s my biggest gripe about the skincare industry.
Fragrance and more importantly SD Alcohol or Alcohol Denat. Fragrance btw, natural or synthetic. A lot of “natural” brands with nothing more than irritating fragrance. Citrus, rose, lavender are ALL fragrance and they aren’t good for skin!
Fragrance. I’m hella sensitive skin-wise right now so it sets me off.
You are quite correct Christine – I really prefer non scented skincare products. The added scent is an irritant and has no place in any skincare product.
Secondly, I want the skincare product to do its job – no incredible claims, just moisturise or cleanse. No harsh chemicals either.
Cruelty free
No microbeads
Ease of use – no glass jars, pump delivery system is best
Another factor for me is accessibility and price. As I (and everyone else) go through so much, I want to be able to purchase it easily and it be a reasonable price – preferably on sale every now and again so I can stock up!
Ooh yes totally agree with you on the glass jars! So many products I refuse to purchase because they’re in jars and I don’t want to outlay a significant amount of money on something in immediately going to contaminate.
Fragrance is a deal breaker for me too. I have a lot of allergies to various raw fruits & veggies plus tree pollen so I avoid so called natural products that use them. Perfume-y fragrance too is no go. Other than that if it has anything harsh in it like alcohol, menthol, camphor (makes me think of Noxema cream from my youth) or essential oils that are sensitizing. Price is a huge thing…..I refuse to pay for a jar of LaMer as no jar of cream is worth what they charge. I think high end/expensive skin care is unnecessary as excellent low cost products are available. Lastly does it work? If it isn’t effective what’s the point?
I have to agree that scent is huge for me. I’m a bit sensitive when it comes to that. I don’t mind a faint scent, but when it’s too perfumy or fake floral, I just can’t.
Packaging is also something that I’m picky about. I don’t like bulky, heavy packaging.
Anything that burns, stings, leaves me red or causes breakouts! I don’t care if it cures wrinkles, f it!
Definitely the smell thing. That’s why I can’t use La Mer products. They are so strongly and unpleasantly perfumed. My grandmother asked me what perfume I was wearing when I was about a metre away from her and all I had on was the face cream.
I also dislike products that aren’t value for money. If I’m paying a lot for a product, I want to see a difference in my skin. I mostly use local Australian salon brands like Ocosmedics which are formulated for skin post-surgery or post-dermatologist treatment. They’re expensive but so effective yet gentle. They’re also extremely good value for money since you only need the smallest amount of product so a bottle lasts forever.
Any skincare product which is more Gimmicky and less natural..i avoid..I try and use organic brands which use natural ingredients.
Scent — The word “fragrance,” automatic no. Any scent that seems beyond what good or neutral ingredients would naturally impart (if “Camellia oleifera” or “Cucumis sativus” is on the list, then I’d expect a light tea or cucumber scent, which is fine). I have no problem with a light scent that makes sense for the ingredients, including ones that some people might call “chemical” (assuming they’re good ingredients … see next point below).
Irritating — Any ingredients known to be sensitizers, irritants, or to have high potential for allergic response in the general population (or that I’ve discovered I’m sensitive to); more specifically: rosemary, mint, citrus (of any kind and in any form), ginger, chamomile, niacinamide, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, cinnamon, benzoyl peroxide, denatured alcohol, SD alcohol, witch hazel, lavender, juniper, sodium lauryl sulfate, essential oils of any kind, and there are others. I’m not afraid of ingredients with a lot of syllables, but am automatically leery of skincare lines that heavily tout “all natural,” since they’re a lot more likely to use certain plant ingredients that are problematic or downright harmful. Lastly, anything that warms, tingles, or tightens.
Scrubby: Nope, nope nope. No crushed, pulverized, granulated, etc. Sugar, salt, rice, walnut … makes no difference. Also, no washcloths or the like. It took 30 years of me irritating and tearing my skin with non-chemical exfoliants before I realized how ineffective and terrible they are for me.
I’d love to say jar packaging is a deal breaker, but there are still companies with good products that put things in jars; I make sure my hands are clean before I use them, and I try to avoid jar packaging for products that have fugitive, or oxygen- or light-reactive ingredients. Clear packaging is a no-go.
Fragrance, essential oils, salicylic acid, witch hazel, menthol, microbeads, and unfortunately, sunscreen. (I do wear a dedicated sunscreen when I know I’ll be out in the sun for a long while – even though it gives me an ugly, itchy rash – but I’m not willing to suffer on a daily basis. And yes, even physical sunscreen irritates my skin. Yes, even physical sunscreens made for babies. I have unbelievably sensitive skin.)
Causes an allergic reaction, breaks me out, heavy fragrances, or is ridiculously expensive.
I’d say packaging in general is a deal-breaker with me! If the packaging makes it difficult to get a product out or just doesn’t work in general, there’s no way I’m going to keep trying to use it!