Mature skin reacts best with a gentle touch. As we age, our skin becomes thinner and weaker which means it also becomes increasingly sensitive to the ingredients found in traditional skin care creams.

A great treatment for mature skin is using natural skin care products. Deciding which product is the right natural skin cream may be quite a chore because not all natural skin care products contain what we consider "natural".

Ingredients like propylene glycol and petrolatum are considered natural because they are by-products of petroleum. However, they can irritate older skin. Here are other products that you should avoid if you want to use the most natural products.

Ingredients to Avoid in your Skin Cream

You should avoid alcohol, especially in face creams, however, cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are permissible. It is notorious for dehydrating the skin. If the product you are looking at contains alcohol in the first five ingredients, it is best to choose another one.

Many natural skin creams contain parabens because they are used to suppress microbial proliferation. However, they can lead to irritation and have been linked to more severe issues such as cancer.

Synthetic colors and unnatural fragrances are usually known as coal-tars that can lead to cancer. Synthetic fragrances have been known to alter hormonal production. So when looking for a product make sure that you always look for products that are fragrance free and not products that are unscented. Fragrance-free products are preferable because those that are unscented use other components to mask the smell of the product's ingredients.

Another ingredient to avoid are ureas. Both imidazolidinyl and diazolidinyl urea are inexpensive and used in several skin care products, however, they can cause inflammation in some people.

Ingredients You'll Want in Your Natural Cream

Once you have chosen a product that contains none or a few of the previous ingredients, you should check to see if it does contain any of the following ingredients. Keep in mind that it is not absolutely essential for these ingredients to appear in your skin cream, but it is a good option especially for soothing sensitive skin.

*Licorice Root

The extract from this ingredient can help soothe the skin. Some product labels may have it listed as glycyrrhizin. Do a patch test before you try using it on larger areas of skin.

*Rose Hip Seed Oil

This vegetable oil is infamous for treating dry skin and scar tissue. It is a very gentle ingredient that can be used directly in its oil form or in skin care products. It has a low viscosity, which allows it to absorb quickly.

Rose hip seed oil helps soothe irritated skin and helps moisturize dry skin. As a matter of fact, rose hip oil is an excellent ingredient in any skin cream for aging skin.