11 Skin Care Ingredients That Can Trigger Allergic Reactions

If you ’ve ever have a rash , unspeakable , or itchy skin after using a hide - care product , you may have an allergy to one of its component .

While the botheration may be obvious , determining what moderate to your reaction might be unclear . Everyday products like bouquet , sunscreens , and cosmetics can sometimes lead to contact dermatitis — an itchy rash triggered by exposure to allergen .

redolence , preservative likeparabens , and apparently benign ingredients like essential fossil oil are often the culprits . Part of what name it challenging to find the source of the irritation is that some ingredients are n’t fully expose on product label . For object lesson , fragrance compounds like limonene , also called balsam of Peru , are frequent offenders but may be but listed as “ sweetness ” or “ fragrance ” on the product ’s label .

11 Skin Care Ingredients That Can Trigger Allergic Reactions

Below , we ’ll explore some usual skin - care ingredients that cause allergic reactions and how you’re able to spot them on the labels of your products . However , if you negatively react to a hide - care product , you should confabulate your healthcare provider for direction . If you see puffiness and itchiness , you should seek aesculapian care promptly .

Types of Allergic Skin Reactions — What’s an Allergic Skin Reaction?

An allergic skin chemical reaction happens when your skin comes in direct striking with something that triggers an resistant response . This can lead to redness , itching , swelling , and sometimes blister or scaly temporary hookup , saysAustin Ambur , DO , a dermatologist with Sharp Community Medical Group in San Diego .

Several different type of allergic skin reaction can occur . These admit :

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Skin Care Ingredients That Cause Allergic Reactions

Certain skin - care ingredients can spark off allergic reactions , run to irritation , redness , and itch . Here is a lean of common culprits that you should be aware of when choose hide - care products :

Fragrance

DescriptionThey can be synthetical or natural compounds used to give product a pleasant sense of smell . you could find sweetness in many cosmetics and hide - upkeep merchandise . “ Fragrance is [ a ] vast cause [ of ] allergy , ” says Dr. Ambur . “ The matter that [ is ] very difficult with aroma is that there ’s nothing that these companies have to do to show all of their ingredients . So that ’s typically how they ’re able to hide a little bit is because they say , ‘ Oh , this is a protected element so that nobody can get our same fragrance . ’ ”

How to I.D.Look for the full term “ fragrancy , ” “ parfum , ” “ perfume , ” or even “ indispensable fossil oil ” on the label . Some mathematical product may also moderate specific fragrance chemicals like limonene or linalool . “ Fragrance does n’t just mean perfume — it ’s used in almost every looker product under the sun , ” saysSiobhan O’Connor , joint author ofNo More Dirty Looks : The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Clean and Safe Cosmetics . Fragrance ingredient can even dress up in product labeled “ unscented ” because companies use particular fragrancy chemical substance experience as masking agents to produce that nonscent .

Parabens

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How to I.D.Look for ingredients terminate in “ -paraben , ” such as methylparaben , propylparaben , or butylparaben .

Formaldehyde Releasing Agents

DescriptionThese preservative release small amounts of methanal over time to prevent microbial growth . For some people , formaldehyde can cause allergic physical contact dermatitis .

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Nickel

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How to I.D.Nickel may not always be clearly labeled , but it can be in metallic , shimmery Cartesian product , or look for items labeled “ nickel note - examine ” or “ hypoallergenic . ”

PPD (p-Phenylenediamine)

DescriptionPPD is a chemical see in hair dye and sometimes in dingy - strengthen cosmetic .

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Oxybenzone

DescriptionOxybenzone is a chemical sunscreen component that can stimulate allergic reactions .

How to I.D.Look for “ oxybenzone ” or other “ -benzone ” compounds on the ingredient inclination , especially in chemical substance sunscreens .

Lanolin

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How to I.D.Look for “ lanolin ” or products labeled as containing “ fleece wax ” or “ fleece grease ” on the recording label .

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT)

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How to I.D.Look for “ methylisothiazolinone ” or " MIT " on Cartesian product recording label , especially wet wipes and liquid ware .

Propolis

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How to I.D.Look for “ propolis ” or “ beeswax ” in lip balm and other skin - precaution products .

FD&C Red 40

DescriptionFD&C dye are celluloid colorants used in cosmetic , especially in lipsticks and blush . Red 40 , in particular , is live to cause allergic reaction .

How to I.D.Look for “ FD&C Red 40 ” or other FD&C dyes on the label , especially in bright colored make-up product .

Aluminum

DescriptionArmpits that get red or start to peel after using antiperspirant could be a sign of an allergy to aluminum compounds , saysJoshua Zeichner , MD , managing director of cosmetic and clinical research in the dermatology department at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City . regrettably , the more knock-down your wetness protection is , the more potential you react .

How to I.D.Look for aluminum in the ingredient list .

What to Do if You Have an Allergic Skin Reaction

If you believe you ’ve had an hypersensitive reaction , there are several stair to take . Those admit :

When to See a Doctor

There are times when you should consult with a healthcare provider . “ If you ’ve tried simplify your skin - care procedure and using gentle , bouquet - gratis productsfor more than a week without advance , you should see a doc , ” says Ambur .

Also , you should seek immediate medical attention if you experience severe symptoms , such as difficulty breathing , facial protuberance , throat intumescency , or high fevers . These could be mark of a more serious allergic or life - threatening response like anaphylaxis .

It ’s ordinarily best to see a dermatologist for peel reactions , but an allergist can also facilitate with testing and intervention .

The Takeaway

Most Recent in Skin Care Routines

Susan Bard , MD , is a clinical instructor in the section of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an appurtenant clinical teacher in the department of dermatology atMount Sinaiin New York City . Her professional interest let in Mohs micrographic surgery , cosmetic and optical maser procedure , and immunodermatology .

She is a procedural skin doctor with the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery .

Dr. Bard has written legion book chapters and articles for many prominent peer - reviewed journals , and author the textbookThe Laser Treatment of Vascular Lesions .

Trageser is a alumnus of UC Berkeley ’s Graduate School of Journalism , where she collaborate on a master‘s project with Michael Pollan on Americans ' distort relationships with solid food . She major in chemical science at Reed College , and completed a senior thesis , “ Pressure Studies on the Multiphoton Dissociation of Chromium Hexacarbonyl , ” which take into account Trageser to spend a year working in a lab fuck up molecules apart with a laser .

Claire Trageser has indite forThe New York Times Magazine , National Geographic , Marie Claire , Runner ’s World , The Denver Post , andThe San Francisco Chronicle . Trageser has previously influence forThe Denver Post , Voice of San Diego , and The Daily Transcript before joiningKPBS .

Trageser lives with her hubby , boy , and passing talented hot dog , Kima , in San Diego , and string for marathons in her ( very special ) liberal clock time .

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11 Skin Care Ingredients That Can Trigger Allergic Reactions