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CARBA MIX (Rubber, Rubberized Handles): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Carba Mix Carba chemicals are rubber accelerators. They are needed to make natural rubber latex suitable for manufacturing many rubber products and to make the vulcanization of rubber go faster. You can find carba mix in most rubber and rubberized things, including: travel mug handles; rubberized grips on weights, rackets and other gym or […]
BLUE, DISPERSE BLUE DYES: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Disperse Blue Dyes These dyes are top contact allergens, and big ones. The American Contact Dermatitis Society named Disperse Blue Dyes Contact Allergen of the Year in 2000. You’ll tend to see these pop up on your patch test results as disperse blue 106 and disperse blue 124. Note that textile allergens are not in […]
BASKET: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Basket There are some caveats for sure, but generally speaking there are few to no top contact allergens in a simple basket with natural, untreated, and uncolored fibers that is woven by hand. Some of the top contact allergens to watch out for: Items with shine as that could suggest a resin […]
FLAVORING: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Flavoring While there are some natural extracts like ginger root that are not top contact allergens, many flavors (natural or not) found in foods, beverages, and oral care products are. These include mint, eucalyptus, lemon, orange, Balsam of Peru — this last allergen has several components and cross reactants that should be avoided, too, […]
FOOD COLORING: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Food Coloring While some foods that naturally have a beautiful coloring (like the purple yam ube or yellow turmeric) might be ok, many colorants added to foods are dyes and dyes are top contact allergens. For the most part, food and skin allergies are not the same. They involve different cells and systems — […]
PLASTIC: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … but be cautious Plastic This is an interesting call. As a rule, plastics contain lots of allergens like dyes, acrylates, benzophenones, resorcinol monobenzoate, isocyanate (in polyurethane foam, glue, resins), etc. and plastics are everywhere — yet reports of reactions to plastic items are rare. There are some case studies of allergic […]
PEARL (Boba or Tapioca): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … but may cross react Pearl (Boba or Tapioca) Bubble tea (also called milk tea or milk boba tea) is a Taiwanese drink that has taken the world by storm. The signature “pearls” in the drink are made of tapioca which, when uncolored and unflavored, is not a top contact allergen. That […]
PEARL (Oyster): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Pearl (Oyster) Harvesting pearls yourself might put your skin at risk of things that could irritate it, but otherwise, pearls are not a top contact allergen. If you have environmental or animal cruelty concerns, synthetic pearls could be an option. Just be wary of plastic ones that might have dyes or preservatives […]
SAFETY HELMET: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Safety Helmet This important piece of equipment for biking, sports, construction, and certain occupations saves lives but can be a real challenge for skin. Some of the more problematic materials include: Rubber (and therefore thiuram), elastics, and latex Dyes bright colors as well as black or dark colors which may contain PPD Acetaophenone Azine […]
