Did you know that up to 80% of the ingredients in perfumes and makeup came from an oil well? Even essential oils are from class of hydrocarbon compounds known as terpenes but can also be aldehydes, esters,
Did you know that up to 80% of the ingredients in perfumes and makeup came from an oil well? Even essential oils are from class of hydrocarbon compounds known as terpenes but can also be aldehydes, esters, ketones, alcohols and phenol-based compounds. As a result it’s important to be discerning in your choice of cosmetics especially if you’ve had an allergic response to a product in the past. The following is a guide to safe use of cosmetics.
Environmental Working Group has released a great video that provides an overview of cosmetics safety in about 8 minutes.
Some cosmetics that are labeled hypo-allergenic really aren’t. It is important to read the label. Don’t use any product that contains lanolin and perfume, the most common causes of skin reactions. Mineral oil can dry out your skin after just two applications. The eyelid and surrounding areas are especially vulnerable because the skin is extremely thin and loose, allowing chemicals to penetrate more easily. This may cause the skin to swell more readily than on other parts of the face.
There are two allergic reactions that might occur following exposure to cosmetics: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is a condition marked by areas of inflammation (redness, itching, and swelling) that form after a substance comes into contact with your skin.
- Irritant contact dermatitis: This is more common than allergic contact dermatitis and can occur in anyone. It develops when an irritating or harsh substance actually damages the skin. Irritant contact dermatitis usually begins as patches of itchy, scaly skin or a red rash, but can develop into blisters that ooze, especially if the skin is further irritated from scratching. It generally occurs at the site of contact with the irritating substance. Areas where the outermost layer of skin is thin, such as the eyelids, or where the skin is dry and cracked are more susceptible to irritant contact dermatitis.
- Allergic contact dermatitis: This occurs in people who are allergic to a specific ingredient or ingredients in a product. Symptoms include redness, swelling, itching, and hive-like breakouts. In some cases, the skin becomes red and raw. The face, lips, eyes, ears, and neck are the most common sites for cosmetic allergies, although reactions may appear anywhere on the body.
The time it takes for symptoms of irritant contact dermatitis to appear varies. For stronger irritants, such as perfumes, a reaction may occur within minutes or hours of exposure. However, it may take days or weeks of continued exposure to a weaker irritant, such as soap, before symptoms appear. In some cases, a person can develop an allergic sensitivity to a product after years of use. With irritant contact dermatitis, the skin breaks down when it comes into contact with harsh substances, most often chemicals that directly injure the outer layer of the skin, resulting in symptoms of a cosmetic allergy.
Allergic contact dermatitis occurs because the body’s immune system is having an inappropriate reaction to a specific substance that it wrongly considers harmful. This type of allergy can be reprogrammed.
There are no Federal rules that control the use of the term, so there is no assurance to consumers that the product is really what it says it is. When a product is labeled as hypoallergenic, it is done only under the discretion of the manufacturers, and not of a higher regulating body. Some companies conduct tests before placing the hypoallergenic claim on the label, but there are others who do not. Some claim to be hypoallergenic just because they did not include perfumes and other problem-causing ingredients. Also, manufacturers are not required to submit a substantiation of their claims. The term, hypoallergenic, is just used as a marketing tool.
Other labels can also be deceiving. “Dermatologist-tested” only means that a skin doctor teste