MANGO: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen. Mango, even when completely natural, fresh and organic, is a common allergen. The oil on its rind, leaves, and bark are similar to poison ivy and related plants. People allergic to it find that eating or just handling mangoes can cause a rash on the hands, lips, and around the mouth. Extracts added to skincare […]
MINT: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen. Mint, even when fresh and organic, is on the common allergens lists. But just because it’s a common allergen doesn’t mean you’re allergic to it. If you’re not sure, or if you think you might have contact dermatitis, ask your dermatologist for a patch test. References: Regularly published reports on the most common allergens by the North […]
ELASTICS IN UNDERWEAR/SOCKS/CLOTHING: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen. Clothing contact dermatitis can occur due to several allergens, including dyes and mordants (chemicals related to metals that are present in some fabrics to help colorants bind better)…and elastics. Dryness, redness, itching, darkening on the waistline from underwear elastics is very common, as are skin problems under the bra area and on the ankles […]
PETROLATUM, PETROLEUM JELLY: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen. While some people prefer not to use petroleum jelly for various reasons, it is very safe on the skin and a standard among dermatologists, especially for occlusive care of barrier-damaged skin or to protect skin and scalps from contact with possible irritants. Petrolatum is also not on published lists of the most common […]
GREEN TEA: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen. This is a bit of a tricky one because, for categorization, many patch test results lump green tea in with “botanicals” and all botanicals are listed as optional cross-reactors to fragrance. Green tea has no reports of cross reaction with fragrance. What many doctors do is manually remove green tea from the list. […]
ROSE: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen No matter how organic, many flowers and their fragrant oils are allergens. Rose absolute (Bulgarian) is popular in perfumes and essential oils; personal care products like skincare, nail polish, deodorants, hair styling products, but also, perhaps less obviously, in ointments and medications; and as a flavoring in lots of foods, beverages, and toothpaste. If you’ve […]
COFFEE (FRESH): Allergen Or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen. Coffee: Coffee is not on published allergen lists. But avoid instant coffees (“just add water”), as some do contain allergens. Fresh, and as an ingredient in skin care, coffee is a great source of antioxidants and is not on common allergen lists. If you think you might have contact dermatitis, ask your […]
BRASS: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen. If it also contains nickel or other allergen-metals, that’s a different story, but unlike many metals, brass, in its original form (with copper, zinc, sometimes tin) is not (currently) on the published list of the most common allergens. If it contains nickel, cobalt, or chromium (the most common metal allergens), however, it […]
Hypoallergenic Is Our Family’s Normal
By Anna “I have been using VMV since I was 12. I have atopic dermatitis and my allergies aren’t just my problem: my children inherited my atopic dermatitis and skin asthma. Everyone in the family uses VMV. Even our pets! They’re not allergic but we are — bathing them in Superwash Hair & Body Shampoo […]