BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER (Blue Tea): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Butterfly Pea Flower Clitoria Ternatea, more commonly called butterfly pea flower, blue tea or blue ternate, is from the Fabaceae family and has gotten lots of attention recently for its beautiful hue and antioxidant properties. Rare for a plant or flower, it is not published as a top contact allergen and is […]
CASTOR OIL (PEG-40): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen PEG-40 Castor Oil PEG-40 Castor Oil is what is usually used in cosmetics. It is not on published lists of top contact allergens and is not a standard inclusion in patch test trays. That said, there are some things that are good to know and to consider with your contact dermatitis specialist. […]
STEARIC ACID: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Stearic Acid It’s not in standard patch test trays, not in published lists of contact allergens, and case reports of allergic reactions to stearic acid are few and far between. This is impressive considering how popular it is as a cosmetic ingredient (a rule of thumb: the more commonly used an ingredient […]
HYDROQUINONE: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … but be cautious Hydroquinone This popular skin bleaching cream is neither on published contact allergen lists nor a standard inclusion in patch test trays. But there are reasons to be wary. Hydroquinone is known to cause irritant contact dermatitis (especially in concentrations of 4% and above), so much so that many […]
BEEF, MEAT: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … but can cause allergic reactions Beef Beef and other proteins are not standard inclusions in patch test trays or published lists of top contact allergens but reactions when handling meat and other proteins, for those sensitive to them, can occur. The risk can be higher for those whose work requires them […]
Our Missing Ingredient … is still missing 😢
If you’re a Re-Everything or Illuminants user like I am (I use both!), we know how how much you miss them. While we’re finally (slowly but surely) getting stocks back for some other products, we’ve received news that these favorite rejuvenation and hyperpigmentation lines will take much longer to get back to our shelves. As […]
BRUNO (We should talk about): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Bruno Madrigal A lot of people feared Bruno because he was different and his powers were not well understood. He himself isn’t an allergen but his exclusion and exile exposed him to more than a few top contact allergens (poor Bruno on many levels). Living behind the walls means lots and lots […]
ALUMINUM: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … sort of Aluminum This is a somewhat controversial call. The American Contact Dermatitis Society named Aluminum as its Contact Allergen of the Year for 2022 — not because of a high number of contact allergies reported in patch tests (while there are reported cases, contact reactions still tend to be notably rare, […]
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 […]