Want skin care that damages the skin, causes premature aging and potential onset of skin cancer? What if we told you that one of the main ingredients used in most pimples creams has that effect!

Benzyl Peroxide has been around for years and is pretty much the chemical of choice in a lot of pimple creams. So, if you've ever used a pimple cream that left your skin red, feeling as if it was burnt and dry and flaky, chances are you can blame Mr BP!

So, what's the deal? Why is it used if it has all those effects? Why doesn't anyone tell you? Why don't the products that contain it come with a warning? Why do the majority of the skin care companies use it? And, why isn't anyone doing something about? All your burning questions, we have gone investigative, in an effort to answer.

What you already know about Benzyl peroxide:
Benzyl peroxide is a concentrated chemical (chemical the buzz word) used in Skin care brands. Benzyl peroxide completes many skin care formulations including cleansers, toners, masks, peels and moisturisers. You can access Benzyl peroxide over the counter and it is known to treat acne.

Now-The damaging truth:
Benzyl peroxide is also flammable, explosive, toxic and can promote cancerous mutations within the skin cells, (for those of us who aren't geeks- it can lead to cancer) In 1995, FDA (Food and Drug Administration) exposed Benzyl peroxide as an unsafe ingredient and through legislation prompted all professionals and product manufacturers to make the customer aware of its dangerous features. Fourteen years later, nothing has happened. 2.5%-10% doses of Benzyl Peroxide are still being compiled into well known brands in your local chemist and supermarket today! Benzyl peroxide has also been known to bleach teeth and hair, so you can only imagine what it is doing to your skin. Or what about the fact that people using these creams noticed that their bath towels are bleached - yep BP! If it's bleaching your towels, what the HELL is it doing to your skin!!!!

You kinda get if an ingredient has the word peroxide in, it isn't going to be exactly gentle or good for you, ha?

If it is so harmful to the skin, why is it available?
This chemical has been around since the birth of beauty and is used by some of the biggest players on the planet. These same guys spend gazillions of $ advertising, so who is going to question them? Not mags and media that rely on the spend. Not consumers who may not be aware of the facts and certainly not the guys selling it. More importantly; Benzyl peroxide is cheap so why would a company change formulation if they can make something cheap and sell squillions + it is pretty potent it usually does the trick in getting rid of pimples - so as you can see they have their bases covered! What you would never know is that the skin clearing results you find (if any) are often due to the skin being dry or burnt.

In most countries of the world beauty products go through no approval or check process before launching which means there is nothing stopping companies from using harsh and nasty chemicals in their formulations.

Cosmetic companies will argue that these ingredients have been used from the day dot with no studies to show any adverse effects. The tide is turning though. There are numerous activist organizations that are onto this in the quest to save your skin and your health.

Check out www.ewg.org for the facts on chemicals and just how great many of them are - NOT!!!

What are the short term and long term effects of Benzyl Peroxide?
There are so many side effects of Benzyl Peroxide that are still so hidden. According to recent studies, Benzyl peroxide can cause skin irritation, burning, itching and swelling. Benzyl peroxide has the ability to increase free radical damage to the skin which means it reduces your skins protection from UV radiation and the environment.

Benzyl peroxide interferes with the skin's ability to function. It lacks the strength to reproduce skin cells and that healthy glow that we so often aim for. The skin often becomes suffocated and stressed which can cause break outs.

Repeated use of the damaging chemical causes premature ageing and strong lines on the face which are just two of many long terms effects. Benzyl peroxide has been shown to cause tumour and cancer based cells within the skin.

The chemical can damage the skins elasticity and acne scars making your skin situation a problem for life!

The ploy of skin care marketing:
Marketing in general is designed to lure the consumer in to purchase. It makes us believe their product is something we need and something that will change many aspects of our lives.

When it comes to skin care, there are massive dollars spent on advertising brands,. It is a competitive and desperate world often fighting for a point of difference. While marketing can enrich, inspire and inform its audience it can often create false representations between the product it is promoting and the actual truth. This is often the case when it comes to ingredients.

Don't believe the marketing hype. Read the back of the pack and if there's any ingredient you're not sure about, check out for yourself by googling or heading to www.ewg.org.

What you need to look for when it comes to effective and safe skin care:
At Bellaboo we promote natural, gentle skincare for teens. Ultimately this means skincare that rejects chemicals and uses a compilation of plant and flower extracts.

We chose not to put Benzyl in our pimple treatment simply because there are too many "ifs" and 'cos it is way too harsh an approach. Instead, we selected known and effective natural ingredients and, guess what, our boos tell us time and time again that their pimples are cleared in 2-3 days minus the irritation, flaking or burning.

What would you choose?