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Allergic Reactions to Natural Products
Hello,
As a DIY skincare junkie, I have come up with an anhydrous facial
serum for my skin (super sensitive, acne-prone, combo-oily) that I have
been loving.Recipe with percentages:
Heated Phase:
Pumpkin seed oil 28%
Jojoba oil 18%
Fractionated coconut oil 18%
Safflower seed oil 18%
Borage 10%
Pomegranate 5%
Cool Down phase:
Vitamin E 2%
Rosemary 0.5%
Lavender 0.5%
Despite my super sensitive skin, this formulation has been a life-saver. My
family and friends have also noted the improvement on my skin and asked
to try. My sister, upon trying it, had a minor allergic reaction with
small red bumps. A friend of mine did a patch test on her arms and she
broke out in hives that felt hot.I have searched all over to understand what could be the reason. There
are no nut-based carrier oils in this recipe. Could it be the essential
oils?
My main questions are:1. With natural skincare does it come with the territory that
1-5% of your sample size are expected to have mild to serious allergic
reactions?2. With my formulation is there any red flag (ie ingredient
or combo of ingredients) that would raise the occurrence of allergic
reactions above what’s expected?Your insight would be much appreciated.Thanks so much!
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14 Replies
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Lavender essential oil contains allergens and could be the cause of the problem.
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Not taking in consideration, individual reactions, i can see for example:- Essential oils can produce allergic reactions.
- vit E could (but not the most common). http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/723147_3- did your friend also use a “control patch” to see if she could be sensitive to the patch “glue”? -
Some people are allergic to many different things, but 2 allergic reactions should be a red flag. In general, a 1-5% allergic reaction rate would very quickly see you sued out of existence.
Since you tested this on your sister, you may be able to take advantage of your relationship and get her to test each ingredient individually. The lavender and/or rosemary are the most likely culprits, but the pumpkin seed oil and the pomegranate oil are so uncommon that there might easily be issues with those as well - but test everything. -
Not to mention that Coconut oil is rather comedogenic.
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Appreciate all the insight!
It seems to all point to essential oils. I have reduced it by more than 50% and my sister did not have an allergic reaction.
Thank you!
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Just a quick question: why are you heating this up? Is there something in your formula that needs melting? I don’t see any butters.
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The chemical composition of lavender essential oil, which
differed considerably with regard to the seasons of the
year in Table 1 and Figure 1, is presented. A total of 47
compounds representing 98.4 - 99.7% of the oils were
identified. 1,5-Dimethyl-1-vinyl-4-hexenylbutyrate was the
main constituent of essential oil (43.73%), followed by
1,3,7-Octatriene, 3,7-dimethyl- (25.10%), Eucalyptol
(7.32%), and Camphor (3.79%). Our results are in a good
agreement to those of Shellie et al. (2002). The observed
differences in the constituents of lavender essential oil
across provinces may be due to different environmental
and genetic factors, different chemotypes and the
nutritional status of the plants.And I am going to stop there….“natural” vs…what? Chemicals? -
Yes that’s a good point. Hmmm. Lavender e.o. comes from lavender plants, which are sprayed with insecticide and fungicide. I suppose if you could find organic lavender?
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Those are valid IUPAC names for components that occur naturally in Lavender not artifacts of pesticides. Note that everything is made of Chemicals.
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Those are valid IUPAC names for components that occur naturally in Lavender not artifacts of pesticides. Note that everything is made of Chemicals.@Mark , Thank you.“Organic” and what not is sometimes worse for what is left behind, and “organic” is more often than not a total joke of a term.
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It makes sense that the human body would be more sensitive to natural ingredients. Plants have had hundreds of thousands of years to create chemicals that will negatively impact organisms like animals and humans who seek to destroy them.
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:ar! can’t argue with that logic. At the same time, it suggests the corollary. That which is not negative ( were that the case, we’d be long extinct), may be harnessed to better effect.
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Actually, anyone can be allergic to anything. The immune system does not distinguish between “natural” chemicals and synthetic chemicals. If upon exposure to any chemical, the body recognizes it as an antigen, the body produces antibodies against that antigen. Upon subsequent exposure to the antigen, it stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies in response to the antigen exposure leading to symptoms characteristic of an allergic reaction. Your immune system “remembers” the chemicals that you are allergic to and responds accordingly. Makes no difference what the source of the chemical is.
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The immune system does not distinguish between “natural” chemicals and synthetic chemicals.
Precisely. Aromatherapists will get a lovely boon when some research gets published shortly. However, despite the obvious effect, there will always be someone that will have a negative reaction to a component.The most interesting aspect of it, was the effect on diabetes patients though. The potential for mimicry of components that are known, but not the mechanism of action.
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