COLOPHONY (ROSIN): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Colophony (Rosin) This top skin allergen comes from the sap of pine, spruce, and other coniferous trees (a residue of the distillation of turpentine). Its stickiness is so useful that it can be difficult to avoid. Where Colophony tends to be present: What else to watch out for: Colophony/rosin in other names like abietic […]
LINALOOL: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Linalool This natural fragrance, like limonene, is an allergen on its own, becomes a more potent allergen with oxidation, and is a component of other fragrances. Linalool is found in citruses (lemon, lime, orange) and can be extracted from trees like birch, herbs and spices (lavender, mint, coriander, cinnamon), and over 200 other plants. […]
POTASSIUM DICHROMATE: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Potassium Dichromate Yet another top contact allergen that is totally natural — it is a common metal in the earth’s crust and found in loam, clay, ash, soil, water, and sand — potassium dichromate (chromate or chromium salt) can be difficult to avoid. It is found in … If you have a history of sensitive […]
CHEESE: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Cheese As with milk and cream, cheese is not a top contact allergen. That said, its allergenicity can be more complicated. Food and skin allergies operate differently. Food allergies are determined by a prick, scratch, or blood test and involve type B cells. Skin allergies are determined by a patch test and type T […]
HYALURONIC ACID: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Hyaluronic Acid The great news is this wonder humectant (a substance that retains water) is not a top contact allergen and is actually usually well tolerated by the skin. The other news is … developing. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in our bodies, such as in the synovial fluid of joints, in […]
SLUGGING: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Slugging If using a very pure, allergen-free, non-acnegenic petrolatum-based product like Boo-Boo Balm, slugging is not a top skin allergen and could be wonderful for very dry or barrier-damaged skin. This skincare trend went viral on social media fairly recently and was attributed to the Korean beauty universe but it has been […]
VEGAN (CLEAN, NATURAL) SKINCARE: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Vegan Skincare The words “vegan skincare” would not appear on standard patch test trays as such but many products labeled “vegan” (along with products labeled “natural” or “organic”) contain lots of top contact allergens. If you have allergic contact dermatitis, it would be best to exercise caution. The bottom line is that terms like […]
MINERAL OIL: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Mineral Oil Not a top contact dermatitis (which is impressive considering how common it is in so many products), this oil is a favorite among dermatologists due to how safe, soothing, moisturizing, and occlusive (prevents water loss) it is and its usability on several parts of the body, including the mucosa of […]
SKIN or FACE BASTING: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … IF … Skin or Face Basting A recent trend on social media due to its “miracle effect” of leaving the skin impressively soft and smooth, skin basting is basically applying zinc oxide thickly on the face and leaving it on for several hours. IF you face baste with pure zinc oxide […]