Five Tips to Prevent Skin Allergy
Here are tips to prevent skin allergy – we have listed them from the ideal to the difficult:
Tip 1:
Look for AllergyCertified
The simplest and most effective way to avoid sensitization and developing a skin allergy is to buy products with an allergy certification. Why?
The INCI lists on the back of products have limitations. As a consumer you cannot see the concentration of each ingredient and you have no way of knowing what the individual ingredient is made of. We know.
That way you can rest assured that a toxicologist has made a thorough risk assessment of all the ingredients (and the ingredients’ ingredients).
Tip 2:
A) Avoid perfume all together
This is a big one. Because perfume is everywhere and in everything. Even where it is not needed.
Mascara – Who is going to smell my eyelashes?
Dishwashing soap – Can porcelain really absorb fragrance?
Detergents – Is it truly cleaner because it is smelling like pot pourri?
This includes essential oils.
All perfumes are allergens – both synthetic and natural perfume such as essential oils. And it is sadly not enough to look for the words “perfume” or “parfum” on the products.
Ingredients of natural origin such as “lavender”, “rose” or “lemon peel” is not declared as a perfume even though it only adds fragrance.
And it might sound super natural and healthy, but all these essential oils, extracts or water often consists of the same allergenic components such as “Linalool”, “Coumarin”, “Geraniol” and “Limonene”.
Look for the chemical names of the EUs 26 allergenic fragrances and avoid them in all your products:
- Alpha isomethylionone
- Amyl cinnamal
- Amylcinnamyl alcohol
- Anisyl alcohol
- Benzyl alcohol
- Benzyl benzoate
- Benzyl cinnamate
- Benzyl salicylate
- Butylphenyl methylpropional (Lilial)
- Cinnamal
- Cinnamyl alcohol
- Citral
- Citronellol
- Coumarin
- Eugenol
- Farnesol
- Geraniol
- Hexyl cinnamal (Jasmonal h)
- Hydroxycitronellal
- Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (Lyral)
- Isoeugenol
- Limonene
- Linalool
- Methyl 2-octynoate
- Evernia furfuracea (Treemoss) extract
- Evernia prunastri (Oakmoss) extract
B) Start with the products you use every day
Make sure they do not contain perfume and the 26 from above.
Product types that are the most common reason to an allergic reaction towards perfume are: deodorants (25,3%), fragranced lotion (24,4%), perfume and essential oils (16%), shampoo (13%) and liquid soap (10,8%)[2].
C) If you are finding it painful to let go..
and difficult to live without perfume, then just spray a little onto your clothes, the tips of your hair or other items that is not in direct contact with your skin.
NB: Be extremely careful with essential oils – besides being a common allergen – they can also cause chemical burns when in contact with your skin if not diluted properly.
Tip 3:
Avoid products with Methylisothiazolinone (MI)
It is a highly allergenic preservative and used to prevent bacterial growth in a variety of products, for example cosmetics, water-based paints, detergents and glue.
The EU still allows MI in paint and cosmetic rinse-off products such as shampoo, hand soap and face wash. So if you live inside the EU make sure that there is no MI in when you buy new rinse-off products and paint.
Tip 4:
Think twice before you color your hair or get a black henna tattoo.
Avoid P-phenylediamine (PPD). There has been a big increase in the frequency of positive allergenic reactions towards P-phenylediamine (PPD) over time, probably because more people are dyeing their hair at an earlier age.
Severe allergic reactions happen when PPD is added to henna and applied directly on the skin for a non-permanent tattoo.
PPD is also used printing ink, oil, gas, rubber products and textiles such as black clothes and nylon stockings, which all become issues for your skin once the allergy towards PPD has developed.
Imagine not being able to wear nylons ever again because of that one time you dyed your hair..
Tip 5:
Wash your new clothes before you wear it.
This is an annoying one – We know! But it is a good tip nonetheless because the clothing industry often add excess amounts of coloring, unnecessary fragrance and formaldehyde to stiffen and keep the shape of the garment.
We are working hard to certify clothes, but until then our best tip is to wash before wear. That way you wash the worst of it off and spare your skin of the exposure.
References:
- [1]http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/perfume-allergies/en/l-3/1-introduction.htm#0p0
- [2]https://www.videncenterforallergi.dk/allergi-og-eksem/allergi-saerlige-produkter/deodoranter/
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