What's the best skin firming face cream? First, let me tell you about some of the worst ingredients and then I'll tell you about the best in the world.

Do you use L'Oreal, Boot's, Burt's Bees, Dove, Jergen's or other popular products? Do you know what's really in those bottles? Let me tell you about it as I think you will be surprised.

Botanicals that Irritate

Some companies claim to provide "botanical" creams and lotions. Yet, their lifting cream may contain known toxins and skin irritants, as well as artificial preservatives. Some botanical extracts are irritating and toxic.

Coumarin, for example, is a toxin found in many plants, such as mullein and bison grass. It is included in lotions and creams because of its fragrance. The chemical is toxic to the liver and kidneys. It also causes lung cancer.

A website called "Skin Deep" created by the Environmental Working Group lists and evaluates product ingredients based on safety. A visit there can be eye-opening. There are botanical products that contain 12 different known allergens and irritants. Most companies use petrolatum as a base-cream, which dermatologists say inhibits the natural rejuvenation process.

Price Does Not Tell the Whole Story

If you judge by the price, you might think that a product is the best skin firming face and neck anti-wrinkle aid. But, if you know anything about hazardous ingredients, you'll leave some of those expensive products on the shelf.

Many of them contain ingredients that are toxic to the skin and the immune system. They are likely to cause rashes, redness, itching and irritation. With continued use, they may increase your risk of cancer, as many of the ingredients cause cellular changes that can result in cancerous growths.

Instead of listing "petrolatum" as an ingredient, some companies use a term that sounds more appealing; mineral oil. Mineral oil is actually liquid petrolatum, which as I mentioned above should not be present in an anti-aging cream, because it interferes with skin cell production.

The Best Skin Firming Face Creams

In order to repair wrinkles and restore elasticity or firmness, your epidermis (the outermost layer) needs nourishment. Our bodies' production of new skin-cells and fibers slow down, once we pass the age of thirty. Without those new cells and fibers, we lose firmness.

New compounds have evolved that stimulate the production of skin-cells, quickly increase firmness by providing needed moisture and improving moisture retention. Firmness is directly related to the moisture levels in the skin.

Older compounds like jojoba, honey and vitamin E have been re-introduced because researchers have learned that, in the right combination; they will fade wrinkles and repair free radical damage. We know, now, that plant oils like grape seed are very compatible with the skin's own sebum, so they are effective moisturizers.

Researchers have also learned that extracts from certain types of seaweed protect protein levels, so that our faces don't break down so easily. The best skin firming face lotions contain compounds that are both old and new, but are safe and all natural. They really do the job.