Decoding Skincare Labels: What's Hiding in Your Products?

What Ingredients Should Families Avoid In Everyday Skincare?

Navigating the world of skincare can feel like walking through a minefield, especially for those with sensitive skin or parents trying to protect their little ones from harsh ingredients. This eye-opening conversation with Trang Nguyen, founder of CVA Products, cuts through the confusion and marketing hype to reveal what's really hiding in your everyday products.

Trang shares surprising insights about common irritants that many people don't suspect, including seemingly innocent ingredients like baking soda in bath bombs and the stark difference between kitchen baking soda and the type used in cleaning products. She explains why certain preservatives are necessary in liquid products while offering practical guidance on selecting safer alternatives. Her personal experiences with her daughter's severe skin sensitivities provide relatable context for families struggling with similar challenges.

The discussion takes a fascinating turn when exploring misleading industry terms like "hypoallergenic" and "dermatologist tested" - labels that offer little real protection for sensitive individuals. Trang offers practical advice for deciphering complex ingredient lists and shares her recommendation to seek out artisanal products from local makers who can directly answer questions about their formulations. For parents of babies and young children, her guidance on age-appropriate skincare is particularly valuable, including when it's safe to introduce scented products.

Whether you're dealing with your own sensitive skin, caring for a child with eczema, or simply looking to make more informed choices about what you put on your body's largest organ, this conversation provides accessible wisdom from someone who's been there. Ready to simplify your family's skincare routine with truly gentle products? Visit CVAproducts.com or stop by their Keller, Texas location to experience handmade natural care that puts sensitive skin first.

To learn more about CVA Products visit:
https://www.CVAProducts.com
CVA Products
121 Olive Street
Keller, TX 76248
817-915-1347

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the CVA Products Podcast, where
sensitive skin finally gets thegentle care it's been begging
for.
Hosted by Trang Nguyen, founderof CVA Products in Keller,
texas, a handmade skincare brandborn from love, necessity and a
mission to soothe.
Whether you're a busy mom, awellness-minded family or

(00:26):
someone tired of playingingredient roulette, this
podcast is for you.
From calming goat milk soaps tobalms that tackle everything
from diaper rash to dad's dryelbows, our products are clean,
kind and kid-approved.
Whether it's toddlers, teens oryour own grown-up skin drama,

(00:46):
we've got you covered.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
From hidden irritants to misleading labels.
Trang Nguyen breaks down theingredients that sensitive skin
families should steer clear ofand why gentle doesn't always
mean safe.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm millie, I'm co-host andproducer.
Back in the studio with trainwin, founder of cva products.
Train, how's it going?
I'm good.
How are you doing well, doingwell.
This is such an important topic.

(01:17):
What ingredients shouldfamilies avoid in everyday skin
care?

Speaker 3 (01:22):
um, there's a lot of things, but like, like for my
daughter, like people who havesevere dryness, you should not
use anything with preservative,like paraffin.
Fragrant oil or syntheticalcohol tend to dry out your
skin a lot faster.
Perfumes perfumes there'sdifferent things.

(01:43):
There's natural perfumes withjust like oil and essential oil.
They also call perfume, theythey save.
But there are perfume that youget at the retail store.
Like me, I'm allergic to chanel.
The moment that my mom oranybody spray chanel I would
sneeze the whole entire dayuntil that person go away,

(02:03):
Because it's more like fragrantwith something else that they
add into it.
It's just everybody's a littlebit different SLS, which is
sodium lauryl sulfate, whicheverybody should be avoiding
because it's also trigger theskin to be like itching dryness.
Believe it or not, baking sodais also.
It's good to using laundry, butit or not baking soda is also

(02:24):
it's good to use in laundry, butit's not good to use on the
body.
Bath bomb my daughter isseverely allergic to bath bomb
because of baking soda.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
That makes sense.
We put baking soda, you knowboxes in our refrigerator to
keep them dry and to keep themoisture out.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
So I can see how baking soda would do that for
Well there's two type of bakingsoda the kitchen one, where
you're cooking and you're eating.
They're safe.
I don't know if you notice it,but when you go to a grocery
store, why baking soda sell atthe kitchen?
Or to eating.
In this baking soda that theyhave at the laundry area?
It's the different baking soda.

(03:01):
Yes, so like even when I do.
My media is off topic so whenI'm making my own laundry
detergents, I don't get thebaking soda from the laundry
aisle because I have chemical inthere, because I'm using the
baking soda in the kitchen aislebecause something you can
consume which is less chemicalin there.

(03:23):
But that that's only forlaundry, though.
But in general, for people whohave severe, sensitive skin,
baking soda with citric acid.
They're more like a naturalpreservative, but it's going to
dry out your skin.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
That makes sense.
So those are the topingredients that you see cause
reactions in kids and adults.
So can you explain thedifference between synthetic
preservatives and saferalternatives?

Speaker 3 (03:48):
There's no safe alternative.
To be honest, it's all bad.
No Preservative you have tohave preservative because
skincare especially okay.
Let me take soap as an exampleSoap and shampoo.
Soap I'm talking about is ahard bar soap, traditional bar
soap.
You just make with oil butterand you add some scent in there.

(04:10):
Naturally, you just addessential oil.
So this it's just, and then youcure properly, so you don't
need anything to put it in therelike it's not gonna grow mold.
Okay, shampoo is a little bitdifferent shampoo.
You have to make it from liquidstandpoint because you have to
add water in, and when you addwater in, water can create mold

(04:32):
bacteria.
It cannot stand.
It can stand for seven days ifyou make it at home.
However, if it more than sevendays, it's going to grow mold,
regardless how carefully, howsanitized you, you know the
makers is.
So you have to add preservativein there.
Preservative there's manydifferent preservative out in
the market.
Some are going to be safe andsome aren't.

(04:53):
I make my own liquid shampoo.
I try not to add a lot, but Ihave to add it in there if I
know.
I cannot use more than sevenday period to wash my hair or to
my body because it's going togrow mold and mold and bacteria
you cannot see from your eyes.
Yeah, it only.
It only can be lab test.
You know, go to lab and test it.
But certain preservatives Ican't on top of my head.

(05:18):
If you add it too much, longrun it can cause cancer, and I
some of them.
I read into an article that'swhat they claim it to be.
I'm not sure, but I always stayunder a certain amount, like
sometimes I'll'll use 0.5, but Ihave to have a minimum amount
for my own safety.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
How do families decode misleading labels like
hypoallergenic or dermatologisttested?

Speaker 3 (05:44):
You know what I went through that route.
I used to.
I like to shop is this waybefore I start doing this, I
like to do anything on sale.
We all do yes anything on saleand good brand, you grab them.
I don't read ingredientsbecause I don't understand all
the name on the ingredient rightyou almost have to be a
scientist to know what all thosethings are they?

(06:07):
they more like greek language tome.
Until now.
I still I only know certainthings, but I don't know a lot
of things unless they're using anormal.
There's a normal name andthere's a inc name or something
like more like a greek language.
But like I only know the oil,the butter I have to learn that.
And then essential oil I don'tthink there's a different name

(06:29):
for that.
Um, but when I go buy something, the first thing I do it, I
flip on the back and I look atthe preservative.
See what's on there inpreservative, the only oh yeah,
now we go, the preservative thatcome atop my head is pheno.
Pheno is kind of safe but notsafe.
So, like I said, you know, longrun it can trigger something to

(06:50):
do with cancer if you drink alot but you need phenol in
liquid.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
So use it very sparingly, very lightly.
Don't use it often at all.
So it's important to read thoseingredients and then more
naturally ingredients, thebetter.
For you.
Are there specific ingredientsthat are risky for babies and
toddlers for you?
Are there specific ingredientsthat are risky for babies and
toddlers?

Speaker 3 (07:19):
oh, I know they can't have honey before they're one.
I do know that they cannot haveum essential oil.
Everything have to be unscented.
So castile soap, liquid,castile soap with dr brown, soap
with dr brown or brown, yes,they are safe.
They are safe because I readinto it.
I can make the exact same thing.

(07:39):
It's the same ingredients.
So that's the only thing I say.
They are safe.
And baby supposed to be stayaway from anything unscented
until at least I think for foressential oil.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
I would be like age three and up, I would be
concealed a little bit maybe youwould need an essential oil,
because they're pretty muchclean, so they don't necessarily
.
They don't need to, like, smellgood or have a scent on top of
them.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, yeah, sometimes it's bad time, kid bad time.
They just want to have some sun.
That's the only thing.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
You just laugh in there to help them fall asleep,
but not until they're three.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yes, but you just have to be careful when you buy
any scented for baby toddlermake sure it's actually
essential oil and make sure it'sdiluted.
If it's undiluted or you don'tknow the percentages in there,
it can be very, very harmful.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
Great advice.
So what would you say tosomeone who's switching to clean
skincare for the first time,someone like me who wants to
switch their laundry, theirshampoo, their skincare over to
clean for the first time, whatadvice would you give me?

Speaker 3 (08:48):
I would say the safest way you can go and get
your stuff is go to farmermarket, because you can see all
the artisan stuff out there, thesoul.
But still, um, ask, ask the,the, the makers, I, I always ask
what do you have in there?
Look at the ingredients die.

(09:08):
You don't want dye in there.
You don't want mica in there?
Oh, there we go.
Uh, mica is also not a badstuff.
Um, any dye is also bad.
We all know dye is very bad.
Yeah, you just ask question.
But our artists in the farmermarket usually a little bit
better than retail store.
But I've seen some stuff.

(09:28):
Stuff started crawling into aretail grocery store, like
Sprout.
We have Sprout in my area, soSprout sometime.
They have clean ingredients.
But you just have to read, knowwhat you read behind the label.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
that's all makes sense and hop on to
cvaproductscom, right?
Yes, thank yes.
Thank you, trang, for helpingus cut through the confusion and
protect our family's skin.
We'll see you on the next timeon CVA Products Podcast.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
Thanks for tuning into the CVA Products Podcast,
where we believe smoother daysstart with gentler skin.
Ready to simplify your family'sskincare routine, Visit
cvaproductscom, text us at817-915-1347, or stop by 121

(10:22):
Olive Street in Keller, Texas.
Cva Products handmade naturalcare for sensitive skin without
gambling.