The Gluten Bigot: Do I Need Gluten Free Make Up?

Monday, March 18, 2013

Do I Need Gluten Free Make Up?

"Do I need gluten free make-up?" Probably one of the most common questions among the newly diagnosed gluten intolerants and celiacs. There is the obvious group of cosmetics which you will want to make sure are gluten free: your lip products. But other than that, are gluten free cosmetics really necessary?

After much research, all I've been able to determine is that no one really knows. While gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin due to its molecular size, there are gluten intolerants and celiacs who do reporting reactions. Also consider the likelihood of products ending up in your mouth. Face makeup has the possibility of travelling, plus between touching your face and touching your mouth it's something to consider. Will your eye shadow end up in your mouth? Probably not. But can you get sick if it gets into your eye? Unfortunately I couldn't get any information on this as my searching just led me to  websites for gluten free makeup. What about hair care. I certainly do not intentionally injest my conditioner or blow dry balm - but my hair seems to end up in my hair quite often. 

At this point it seems to be something that you should determine at a personal level. Most of my products are gluten free, but I have loads which I am not sure of (mostly my hair products). If you're looking to find gluten free products, I did stumble upon a few great lists which are really helpful:
  • Sephora maintains a list of gluten free products. Many products they have that are GF are not listed (ex: Dior's line is GF but not listed).
  • L'Oreal provides a list of gluten derived ingredients (this applies to all L'Oreal brands including Maybelline New York)
  • GF Makeup Girl has a list of certified GF products, and reviews. To get the list you have to sign up for the newsletter (you can unsubscribe right away if you don't want to receive it). 
  • The most comprehensive list of gluten free products I have found so far on glutenfreeveganmom.

2 comments :

  1. You should definatley add Red Apple Lipstick to your list! They are good quality plus gluten, paraben and allergen free plus vegan too! :) oh and they have a thing for bloggers too. Would be worth checking out.

    http://www.redapplelipstick.com/bgrs/

    ReplyDelete
  2. in addition to your above comments many people with celiac disease also suffer from topical issues with gluten including DH. Not only must we avoid ingesting gluten but also avoid applying it topically as well for those of us who suffer.

    ReplyDelete

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