Mature skin requires 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 good option for treating mature skin is the use of natural skin care products. Choosing the right, natural skin cream may be quite a chore. The reason for this is not all natural skin care products contain what we consider "natural".

Ingredients such as petrolatum and propylene glycol are by-products of petroleum and are, therefore, considered natural. However, they can be irritating to mature skin. Here is a short list of some 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 drying out your skin so if the product you are about to purchase lists alcohol as one of the first five ingredients, you should reconsider your purchase.

Many natural skin creams out in the market today contain parabens, which are used to suppress microbial proliferation. However, they can lead to irritation and other problems. They have also been linked to more severe issues such as cancer.

Synthetic colors and fragrances are usually 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 you should keep an eye out for 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 that Should be in Your Natural Cream

Once you've found a product that contains few or none of the previous ingredients, you should make sure that it does contain the following ingredients. Keep in mind that it is not essential for these ingredients to appear in your skin cream. But, they are quite useful 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 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.

Rose hip seed oil is another natural oil that helps soothe irritated skin and helps moisturize dry skin. In fact, it is a great addition to any skin cream for aging skin.