Your skincare products aren’t what they appear to be.

I had to find this out the hard way — as I entered menopause, my entire body changed. My skin felt dry, and it looked thin. My mood was all over the place. Suddenly I was getting rashes from everything: itchy fabrics, soap, even the sun.

I chalked it up as “part of getting old,” and I hoped it would pass. News flash: it didn’t. I kept getting rashes and outbreaks, and I felt like I was aging in fast-forward.

It all came to a head one night, about 6 months ago. I was brushing my teeth with natural toothpaste and reading the label. I’d switched after doing some research on conventional toothpaste, which is loaded with additives.

After brushing, I reached for my anti-aging serum… from one of those big beauty brands. I’d never read the ingredients on it. Turns out that it had triclosan… the same ingredient that had caused me to throw out my toothpaste.

Three hours later, I had 30 browser tabs open — and I threw that serum in the trash can, followed by 90% of my beauty products.

I had no idea that we were so far behind in America… because they’ve banned a lot of ingredients in Europe that are still in our skincare and beauty products.

You should be checking all your labels for these — but even that has its limitations, as I’ll share in a moment. 

5 skincare ingredients that are banned in Europe… but not the USA

Petroleum distillates. I always thought I had dust allergies, but it might have just been from these. Petroleum distillates can cause skin irritation and issues with the immune system.

Where you might find them: Liquid hand soap, mascara

Formaldehyde releasers. Formaldehyde itself is banned in skincare products, but ingredients like Quaternium-15 are not… and they are “formaldehyde releasers” that, well, slowly release formaldehyde.

‍Where you might find them: facial cleanses, body washes, eyelid wipes

Parabens. You might have heard of these already — they’re in thousands of products, even though the EU has already banned 5 different types of them. They’re known to disrupt the endocrine system.

Where you might find them: Cleansers, masks, tanners, and all kinds of makeup

Phthalates. They’re often used to make plastic more durable, but they’re also used in makeup, where they can disrupt the endocrine system. They come with names like Dibutyl Phthalate, diethylphthalate, and Dimethyl Phthalate. 

Where you might find them: nail polish, fragrances

Triclosan. This is an antibacterial product, but it’s associated with thyroid issues — and may break down into other chemicals after exposure to UV rays.

Where you might find it: Eye shadow, antiperspirant, shampoo, bar soap

All of these have been banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons… but if you live in North America, there’s a good chance you can still find them in your medicine cabinet.

Avoiding 5 ingredients sounds easy, right? Well, wait until you learn about synonyms

A few hours into my research, I was staring at a page about parabens… and I noticed a section called “synonyms.”

Here’s a screenshot of the other names for methylparaben (one of many types of parabens):

That’s not even the full list — it’s about a third of it. And it’s one of many parabens, which is one of many products that I didn’t want to put on my face every single day.

How on earth are you supposed to keep track of all this? I just imagined myself in the drugstore, squinting at a label while I furiously googled every single ingredient.

It’s like whack-a-mole… you get rid of an unnatural ingredient, and they just go back to the lab and make a new version, under a new name. And the skincare industry is notorious for not disclosing ingredients.

I knew the answer was to find naturally-made products… but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I figured they’d be expensive and useless.

That all changed with an unexpected birthday gift.

I guess I’d been griping about my struggles a little too much, because my friend bought me an AnnMarie Anti-Aging Bundle for my birthday.

I looked at the labels and instantly had doubts. But I smiled politely and was truly grateful for the thoughtful gift.

“It’s wildcrafted,” my friend reassured me.

Wildcrafted? What did that even mean?

I wasn’t putting this stuff on my face without some research. So I looked into it. And while you may have never heard the word “wildcrafted” before, you’ve probably heard these:

• No behavioral toxins
• No carcinogens
• No developmental toxins
• No endocrine disruptors
• No high-risk pesticides
• No reproductive toxins
• No toxic solvents
• No heavy metals
• No fire retardants
• No neurotoxins
• No harmful VOCs

Your product needs to meet all these qualifications to get MADE SAFE® certification, and AnnMarie is one of the few skincare brands that can lay claim to it.

It’s also non-GMO, made in the USA, and 100% cruelty-free.

Fine, it’s not going to hurt you or the planet… but does it work?

Here’s where “wildcrafting” comes in. The ingredients on these labels were all pretty familiar — the anti-aging facial oil, for example, is made with jojoba oil, plantago, goji berries, and chia seed oil.

Other labels revealed natural ingredients like aloe vera, cucumber extract, rose distillate, or life everlasting flowers.

The giant brands of skincare don’t use these — and here’s the unexpected reason why…

They take a lot of patience to work with. Annmarie’s founder, Annmarie Gianni, pioneered a botanical infusion process that takes 30 days of steeping to fully release all the beneficial compounds in these plants.

You think the big guys are infusing anything for 30 days? Their shareholders would riot.

So I decided to try it. I unscrewed the cap on the Pearl Mask first. I saw that it was made with turmeric, pearl, and licorice — and I expected it to smell like the back of an incense shop.

But it smelled absolutely divine… like I was walking into a spa with fresh-cut flowers in my hand.

So I decided to use the whole pack: aloe herb cleanser, anti-aging cream, anti-aging oil, anti-aging facial cleanser… at my age, I’ll take all the anti-aging I can get

After one use, I figured it was worth the money — because it smelled amazing, left my skin soft and glowing, and didn’t cause any reactions. It had been decades since I could say that about my skin products.

After 6 months, I’m never going back. Thanks to dropping all those synthetic products, I’m not dealing with rashes and I just feel more energized every day. Plus, I know I’m supporting an ethical, female-owned business.

It actually transformed my skin. It’s softer, clearer, and my friends and family always like to mention how great I smell when I walk in the room.

You might find it in stores — but you won’t find a deal like this anywhere else

I reached out to AnnMarie, and they’ve offered all TWG readers a chance to get an exclusive $60 discount on their most popular item — the Complete Anti-Aging Bundle:

• Anti-Aging Hydrating Serum (15ml)
• Anti-Aging Restorative Facial Oil (5ml)
• Anti-Aging Plant Cell Eye Cream (15ml)
• FREE $60.00 Value! Illuminating Pearl Mask (50ml)

Go ahead and click the button below to choose your bundle. Everyone I’ve talked to loves the Complete Anti-Aging Bundle… and here’s why:

When you switch to wildcrafted skincare, the difference is enormous… not just in your health, but in the way that you pamper yourself by putting it on, and in knowing that you’re supporting an ethical, sustainable business.

I’ve recommended this to a lot of friends, and they all feel so good after 1 week that they want to replace their whole facial care routine with AnnMarie products… and for most women my age, these 4 products are more than enough.

But there’s one catch. Because the infusions take 30 days, and the ingredients are only sourced from responsible, ethical farmers, supplies are often at risk of running out.

In our current world of broken supply chains, that’s more true than ever.

If you go to the next screen and it’s there, that’s great news! You can take advantage of the TWG- exclusive discount and get your bundle.

Everything’s backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee — so there’s no risk in seeing if this is the difference your skin has been missing.

After all, do you really want to put something on your face that you wouldn’t dare put in your mouth?