The 7 Ingredients Every Cancer Patient Must Avoid in Skincare

When I was going through Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment, I expected the nausea, the fatigue, the hair loss.

But no one warned me about the skin reactions.

The burning.
The rashes.
The breakouts that felt like acid.
The way every “normal” product suddenly became too harsh, too perfumed, too painful.

I remember standing in the shower one morning, holding a cleanser I had used for years. I put it on my face… and instantly felt my skin sting like a bad sunburn. Overnight, my skin had gone from “sensitive” to “reactive.”

That's the moment I realised:
Skincare for cancer patients must follow different rules.

And the first rule is simple: Avoid the ingredients that make everything worse.

These are the 7 skincare ingredients I learned to avoid, and why they’re so harmful during cancer treatment.

1. Synthetic Fragrance (Parfum)

If I had to pick the biggest enemy of chemo skin, it’s this one.

Artificial fragrance is one of the top triggers of irritation, dermatitis, redness, burning and hormone disruption, and your skin’s barrier is already compromised during treatment.

During my chemotherapy, every fragranced product made my face itch within 10 seconds.
Switching to fragrance-free, essential-oil-free skincare changed everything.

This is why all MaGéAu Naturel formulas (like my Shower Gel) and Body Lotion) are completely fragrance-free, your skin and hormones deserve the break.

2. Essential Oils

This one surprises people.
“Essential oils are natural, so they must be safe, right?”

Not during cancer treatment.

Even lavender, tea tree, citrus oils can trigger:

• stinging

• redness

• barrier disruption

• photosensitivity

• allergies
  
  

Your immune system is already overwhelmed, essential oils can push it over the edge.

This is why even our Massage Oil is essential-oil-free. It delivers comfort without adding sensitisation.

3. Sulfates (SLS & SLES)

These are the detergents that make cleansers foam aggressively.

Chemotherapy already reduces your skin’s natural oils.
Sulfates strip the remaining lipids, leaving your barrier even weaker.

When I replaced my old sulfate shampoo with our sulfate-free Shampoo, my scalp finally stopped burning. My dermatologist told me: “This is the kind of formula cancer patients should use.”

4. Alcohol Denat

Some alcohols are fine, but denatured alcohol is harsh, drying, and inflammatory.

Chemotherapy skin = dehydrated, fragile, easily irritated.
Alcohol denat = guaranteed redness and tightness.

You won’t find it in any MaGéAu Naturel formula. I banned it myself.

5. BHA (Salicylic Acid)

I LOVE exfoliation… but not during treatment.

Salicylic acid can:

• cause peeling

• increase photosensitivity

• irritate chemo-damaged skin

• break the barrier further
  
  

Even low percentages hurt. I learned this the hard way.

Instead, magnesium-rich soothing ingredients became my skincare saviours. I will never stop praising how magnesium turned my itchy, inflamed skin into calm, smooth skin again.

(Read more about magnesium in our About Us page.)

6. Retinol & Retinoids

Usually amazing ingredients.
But during cancer treatment?

Way too strong.

Retinoids thin the top layer of your skin — not ideal when your barrier is already compromised.

What helped me instead were gentle, non-stripping products like our Facial Cleanser and nourishing Body Lotion.

7. Endocrine Disruptors (BHA/BHT, Phthalates, Parabens)

As a cancer survivor, this is a lifelong no-go for me.

Endocrine disruptors accumulate quietly and affect:

• hormones

• immunity

• inflammatory pathways

• long-term skin resilience
  
  

I didn’t spend months fighting for my life to apply hormone disruptors ever again.

Everything in MaGéAu Naturel is formulated to avoid endocrine disruptors entirely. It's one of our core principles, no compromises.

My Turning Point: When Magnesium Changed My Skin

After treatment, my skin still felt:

• rough

• itchy

• flaky

• uncomfortable
  
  

A doctor in Lausanne told me, “Magnesium helps restore the skin barrier after chemo.”
I rolled my eyes at first… until I tried it.

Within one week:

• my redness decreased

• my dryness softened

• my skin stopped burning

• my sleep even improved
  
  

This transformation inspired our magnesium-rich formulas, gentle, restorative, oncology-safe.

Our magnesium-based Body Lotion remains the #1 product cancer patients thank me for.

The 7 Ingredients to Avoid. Summary

 Fragrance
 Essential Oils
 Sulfates
 Alcohol Denat
 BHA
 Retinoids
 Endocrine disruptors

When your body is fighting cancer, your skin needs protection, not aggression.