One factor that is the same for all human life is that we age, which means that at some point in our lives we will all have to deal with wrinkles or age spots, however, this doesn't mean that we can't do something to help lessen the blow. In fact, several skin care companies now offer special skin care products specially catered to treat aging skin.

Gentle skin care creams are the best choice for aging skin. A good option is the use of natural skin care products, however, it may a little difficult to choose the right, natural skin cream because not all products contain ingredients that can be considered gentle enough or soothing enough for sensitive skin.

For example, the skin care industry considers petroleum based ingredients as natural substances. This may or may not be true, but who is really willing to treat their delicate aging skin with petroleum? Let's take a look at a few other ingredients that you may want to avoid when in search of gentle face creams.

One of the ingredients you should try to avoid is alcohol in all of its forms except cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates skin and is also known to cause irritation. That is why if you do find yourself buying a product that contains this ingredient, make sure that it isn't among the first five ingredients.

Parabens are another ingredient that should not be present in natural skin creams. Although parabens serve an important purpose in the make-up of some creams, they have also been known to produce irritation and even cancer.

Other products that have been linked to cancer are acryl amide, polyethylene glycol, and dioxine. You should also try and avoid products made with synthetic colors and fragrances because, not only are some considered to be carcinogenic, but most are known to alter hormone levels.

Phenol carbolic acid is a very common ingredient in skin care products. It is an antiseptic and disinfectant, however, if you are continually exposed to this type of ingredient you may experience irritation or dermatitis.

An ingredient known as stearalkonium chloride is used in creams for its conditioning properties. This ingredient is known to cause skin and eye irritation which is why it shouldn't be used for prolonged periods of time.

Vital Ingredients found in Face Creams

There are a few very special ingredients that you should look for in all skin care products, and if at all possible, prefer them over products that don't contain these ingredients.

Rose hip seed oil is one of the best natural moisturizers around. It has been used for centuries to treat dry skin, eczema, scar tissue and even stretch marks.

Licorice root extract is another natural ingredient that is very soothing on sensitive skin. It may appear listed as glycyrrhizin on the product labels so look closely before purchasing. If you are concerned about irritation or allergic reactions, make sure that you do a patch test before trying it on your face.