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Skin Health Skin Health Basics

Caution at the Cosmetics Counter

What ingredients other than preservatives can cause allergic reactions?
In addition to the preservatives, some people think perfumes are common causes. “I think fragrances are an unlikely cause of allergic reactions,” says Storrs, “but they are very complicated compounds that contain hundreds of chemicals that might cause an allergic reaction.”

Another ingredient doctors are seeing more and more of are the botanicals which are plant extracts, or the so-called “natural” chemicals. They are often found in products like shampoos. They may have an odor, but they are not officially designated as fragrances on the label. “In my office, I’ve seen three people who were using a deodorant that contained some extracts of lichens, little primitive plants that grow on trees, who developed severe underarm dermatitis,” says Storrs.

Can people have allergic reactions to products that are too old?
It’s rare. When bacteria and fungus grow on the product because the preservative is no longer active, you can see them, and most likely will throw them away. It’s like seeing a piece of moldy bread. If you ate the moldy bread, probably nothing would happen to you, but it’s going to taste and look awful.

However, there is some concern about bacteria and fungus in products that are used around the eye. So the advice for using products around the eyes, such as mascara, is usually to replace them every 6 months to make sure that it’s properly preserved and fresh.

Why do sunscreens cause allergic reactions?
In the United States, some sunscreens contain chemicals called oxybenzone and octyl dimethyl PABA, which have been associated with allergic contact dermatitis reactions. Unfortunately, the cosmetics industry does not require that those chemicals be designated by those names on the label, so they may be listed by an alternative name.

Luckily there are excellent alterative sunscreens that don’t contain these chemicals; instead, they contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which are pretty inert substances and excellent sunscreens.

What causes people to react to hair care products?
The main culprits responsible for an allergic reaction are specific chemicals in hair dyes and permanent waves. Most of the blame lays with certain kinds of permanent hair dyes, specifically those with a chemical called paraphenylenediamine. Fortunately, there are lots of substitutes for those permanent hair dyes, and the semi-permanent hair dyes usually don’t contain that chemical.

And the second most common hair product to cause allergic reactions is permanent waves that contain a chemical called glyceryl thioglycolate. These are usually three-part permanent waves, or so-called "acid perms." Cysteamine is a new chemical in permanent waves that can also cause allergy. “However, I think it’s going to be a very rare problem,” says Storrs.

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