what is this?
We wanted to know which ingredients we should and shouldn’t put in our personal care products, so we did the research. Then we thought, why not share the love?
This Skin Allergy Knowledge Base is a comprehensive (yet likely still incomplete) list of the personal care ingredients that most commonly cause an allergic reaction or irritation to the skin. This includes ingredients often used in lotions, soaps, deodorants, body washes, shampoos, face creams, hair styling products, wipes, and more.
In presenting this information, two things are of utmost importance to us:
- No Bias: Full disclosure – we make personal care products. And of course we believe our products are great. But, we think it’s important to note that we have conformed our products to these findings, not the other way around.
- Plain English: A lot of ingredient information online is written in complex terms that are hard to grasp without a PhD in Chemistry. We want to share knowledge, not data. So we’ve translated the scientific speak into English and presented just what’s most important to you, the consumer.
Allergens vs. Irritants
When determining whether or not a personal care product’s ingredients are suitable for you or your child, it’s important to distinguish between allergens and irritants.
Allergens are ingredients that trigger an allergic reaction because the individual user happens to have an allergy to that ingredient. Allergic reactions tend to occur quickly after exposure to the allergen. Allergens affect a smaller portion of the population, but can cause more intense symptoms that may require immediate medical care depending on the severity of the reaction.
Irritants are ingredients that cause skin irritation because they are either harsh in nature or clash with the individual user’s body chemistry. Skin irritation caused by an irritant can occur immediately, but usually develops days or weeks after repeated exposure. Irritants affect a larger portion of the population, but typically cause less intense symptoms that can be self-treated.
Symptoms
What makes it tough to distinguish between allergens and irritants is the fact that they have almost identical symptoms. Most commonly these include:
- Rash
- Redness
- Itchiness
- Burning
- Stinging
- Swelling
- Bumpy skin
- Dry, cracked, or flaky skin
Allergens differ in that they can also sometimes cause hives, severe inflammation, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, dizziness, or difficulty breathing.
Ingredients
Our customers are kids – with particularly sensitive skin – so we’ve been rather strict in our classification of ingredients. Therefore, some ingredients might be flagged as irritants but for grown-ups irritation is actually quite rare.
Here are the classification categories we’ve used:
Potentially Irritating – These ingredients are known to cause skin irritation or damage for some people. This is different than an allergic reaction (but with similar symptoms), and affects a wider portion of the population. Sometimes irritation does not appear upon first use but develops from repeated use over time. Use with caution. Potentially Allergenic – These ingredients are generally safe for people who aren’t allergic to them, but tend to be among the more common skin allergens. Skin reactions appear quite quickly after exposure and can range in severity. Avoid if allergic. If you’re unsure, test on a small patch of skin first. Potentially Photosensitive – These ingredients can cause skin irritation with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight if used undiluted or at high concentrations. They are, however, generally safe for everyone when used 1) in rinse-off applications (e.g., body wash), 2) in leave-on applications on non-exposed skin (e.g., underarm deodorant), or 3) in leave-on applications on exposed skin at very low, diluted quantities (typically 0.5-2% of the total formula composition).Ingredients are listed in alphabetical order.
| Ingredient Name | Risk Category |
|---|---|
| Abietic Acid | Potentially Irritating |
| Almond Extract | Potentially Allergenic |
| Almond Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Aluminum | Potentially Irritating |
| Anisyl Alcohol | Potentially Irritating |
| Benzaldehyde | Potentially Irritating |
| Benzalkonium Chloride | Potentially Irritating |
| Benzoic Acid | Potentially Irritating |
| Benzoyl Peroxide | Potentially Allergenic |
| Bergamot Oil | Potentially Photosensitive |
| Bitter Orange Oil | Potentially Photosensitive |
| Camphor Oil | Potentially Irritating |
| Cassia Bark Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Cinnamon Bark Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Clove Oil | Potentially Irritating |
| Coconut Oil | Potentially Irritating Potentially Allergenic |
| Cumin Oil | Potentially Photosensitive |
| Diazolidinyl Urea | Potentially Irritating |
| Ethyl Alcohol | Potentially Irritating |
| Fragrance (Parfum) | Potentially Irritating Potentially Allergenic |
| Grapefruit Peel Oil | Potentially Photosensitive |
| Hexachlorophene | Potentially Irritating |
| Horse Chestnut Extract | Potentially Allergenic |
| Imidazolidinyl Urea | Potentially Irritating |
| Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate | Potentially Irritating Potentially Allergenic |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | Potentially Irritating |
| Jasmine Absolute | Potentially Allergenic |
| Lavender Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Lemon Oil | Potentially Photosensitive |
| Lime Oil | Potentially Photosensitive |
| Macadamia Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Massoia Bark Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Methylisothiazolinone | Potentially Irritating Potentially Allergenic |
| Mineral Oil | Potentially Irritating |
| Narcissus Absolute | Potentially Allergenic |
| Oregano Oil | Potentially Irritating |
| Peanut Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Peru Balsam Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Phenoxyethanol | Potentially Irritating |
| Propylene Glycol | Potentially Irritating |
| Propyl Gallate | Potentially Allergenic |
| Quaternium 15 | Potentially Irritating |
| Sage (Common) Oil | Potentially Irritating |
| Salicylic Acid | Potentially Irritating Potentially Allergenic |
| Sesame Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Silicone | Potentially Irritating |
| Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) | Potentially Irritating |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) | Potentially Irritating |
| Soy Extract | Potentially Allergenic |
| Tea Tree Oil | Potentially Irritating |
| Tolu Balsam Oil | Potentially Allergenic |
| Triclosan | Potentially Irritating |
| Wintergreen Oil | Potentially Irritating |