Nut-Free, Lipstick
The question of nut-free cosmetics, specifically lipstick, comes from an Allergic Girl reader and it's one that I've written about before.
My first thoughts were Almay and other drug store brands that don't use high-end expensive nutty ingredients. Or a place like Giella that custom creates cosmetic blends. (Very cool, I know and not more expensive than Chanel or other high-end department store brands).
What do you think? What have you used?
From reader:
Hi: I saw your website and was intrigued. It's my husband that has the nut allergy, but I also have the fish/melon-and-other vegetables allergy.
But my main concern is nuts in cosmetics. I've finally found makeup I can wear without breaking out (Bare Escentials) because I have extremely sensitive skin and eyes, but their lipgloss must have some kind of nuts. Even though I wrote to the company and they say it doesn't, their lipstick does, so there must have been some kind of contamination in the processing, or the person I e-mailed is uninformed, or they are not as careful about what is considered 'nuts' (I didn't realize the shea butter connection, for example--that's in everything!).
Anyway, are you aware of a list of cosmetics that are nut-free you could refer me to? I'm mostly interested in the lipsticks as that seems to be the problem.
I'd be very grateful for any assistance you could provide me.
My first thoughts were Almay and other drug store brands that don't use high-end expensive nutty ingredients. Or a place like Giella that custom creates cosmetic blends. (Very cool, I know and not more expensive than Chanel or other high-end department store brands).
What do you think? What have you used?
From reader:
Hi: I saw your website and was intrigued. It's my husband that has the nut allergy, but I also have the fish/melon-and-other vegetables allergy.
But my main concern is nuts in cosmetics. I've finally found makeup I can wear without breaking out (Bare Escentials) because I have extremely sensitive skin and eyes, but their lipgloss must have some kind of nuts. Even though I wrote to the company and they say it doesn't, their lipstick does, so there must have been some kind of contamination in the processing, or the person I e-mailed is uninformed, or they are not as careful about what is considered 'nuts' (I didn't realize the shea butter connection, for example--that's in everything!).
Anyway, are you aware of a list of cosmetics that are nut-free you could refer me to? I'm mostly interested in the lipsticks as that seems to be the problem.
I'd be very grateful for any assistance you could provide me.
Comments
I don't have any suggestions for nut-free cosmetics, but I do have a related question that I would love to hear your thoughts on, and the thoughts of your readers. I'm really confused about gluten-free cosmetics and toiletries, and particularly about one ingredient: tocopherol. I know that tocopherol is often derived from wheat germ oil. When I call companies to ask about their products, they'll tell me something is gluten free even when it contains tocopherol and they often don't know the source of the tocopherol.
Do you have any insights about this? Do you use products with tocopherol (it seems to be in everything!)?
I HATE that shea butter is added to everything. We don't know for sure but avoid it just in case.
You might try looking at some of the small makeup companies online. This is one of my favorite beauty blogs http://frescophyrra.blogspot.com/
You might even be able to have somone do some custom work for you?
Good luck!
1) Shea is NOT A NUT! This is a fruit. The FDA may have classified it as a tree nut, but it is not in the tree nut family. Go do your research if you do not believe me, and unfortunately the FDA is dead wrong. They have admitted this, but the list won't change. You didn't react to this, I promise you.
2) Wheat germ oil is not causing your problem. You have your concepts mixed up with gluten, and the mechanism of how gluten would cause a reaction (it is a diarrhea thing, not a lip thing, and I remind you of how many people over-attribute gluten as the root of all evil). Furthermore, you wouldn't get a reaction to wheat from wheat germ oil.
3) Sesame is commonly found in balms. If you are sesame allergic, this is a very realistic danger--ask my 12 year old patient who went into anaphylaxis this.
4) Not all, but many of the nut oils (e.g. almond extract, etc) may not be real, and are more likely to be a product of some lab off the Jersey Turnpike. Like peanut oil, most true tree nut allergic individuals are not very likely to react to a tree nut oil, and I would doubt that it could cause oral allergy syndrome (this would be degraded in the processing of the oil).
5) There are SEVERAL agents well known to provoke allergic contact dermatitis in lip balms, such as fragrance mix, quaternium 15, paraben, benzocaine, and others. This would be my most likely culprit. Go see your allergist and discuss this with them.
This is pointed, but it disturbs me that there is huge conceptual misunderstanding being passed around. You do not need a GF lip balm, and shea nut is not provoking a tree nut allergy.