Natural Cosmetics Triggers for allergies?

Can even natural cosmetic products cause allergic reactions?

09/11/2013

Do natural cosmetics trigger allergies? This question was answered by Italian researchers. They found that most contact allergies caused by herbal ingredients are caused by propolis, tea tree oil and daisy family.

It was found that a relevant proportion of the skin reactions to natural products is not caused by the active ingredients but by other ingredients of the cosmetics. 22 percent spoke e.g. to allergens typically found in cosmetics and topical products, such as Fragrance Mix I, (chloro) methylisothiazolone, formaldehyde, paraben mix and lanolin alcohols.

Potential contact allergy to herbal ingredients was present in about 15% of patients, with the most common triggers being propolis, tea tree oil and daisy family. The scientists therefore recommend combining the basic patch test with tests on these plants. Click here for the study. (Pm)

Image: Petra Dirscherl