The European Union is considering placing warning labels on beauty products containing potentially allergenic herbal, plant-based ingredients like lavender and chamomile, at the recommendation of the Swedish Chemicals Agency (SCA).
Many beauty products boast all-natural ingredients, but researchers are stressing that just because something is 'natural' doesn't mean your body will respond well to it. Chamomile, for instance, comes from the same pollen-generating family of plants as daisies and ragweed, which are common causes of springtime allergies. Lavender contains a compound called linalool, which creates the plant's lovely smell but can also react with air to irritate the skin.
The Environmental Working Group reported that more than 4,000 beauty products include linalool for fragrance and other purposes, and it is sometimes synthesized by chemists to achieve a purity of 97 percent — natural lavender contains 20 to 40 percent depending on the variety of plant.
According to The Atlantic, lavender is included in 90 percent of the cosmetic products that are currently sold in the United States.
Scientists are currently trying to determine what's behind the general increase in allergy sensitivities. Research published by UCLA reports that one in five individuals in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada has been diagnosed with some sort of allergy. The researchers attributed this increase in allergy sensitivities in part to the 'hygiene hypothesis,' which theorizes that people in developed nations are exposed to a smaller variety of allergens. If, in adulthood, they are then exposed to a potential allergen for a prolonged period of time, their immune systems are more likely to identify that substance as dangerous, launching an allergic reaction against it.
"People often think that when they become allergic to some thing it has to be something new," Dr. Michael Stierstoffer, a practicing dermatologist, told The Atlantic. "But often it's something that they have been repetitively exposed to and then at some point in time the immune system just decides to become allergic to it. The more you get exposed to an allergen, the higher the chance that your body's immune system will see it as something it doesn't like and react to it."
Scientists tested this theory of sensitization in a study in Japan. Over the course of nine years, they exposed 1,483 patients to low doses of lavender oil, and the rate of allergy among the participants grew from 1 percent in 1990 to 14 percent in 1998.
Other natural substances commonly used in cosmetic products can have the same effect. For instance, The Atlantic recently reported the story of a 55-year-old woman who suffered an anaphylactic reaction to a goat cheese salad and was saved by the use of an EpiPen. She had never experienced a reaction to goat cheese, and had seemingly developed a fatal allergy overnight. Upon investigation, however, doctors found that she had been using a daily moisturizer containing goat's milk. She had stopped using the product a few months before her anaphylactic reaction, but her body had built up enough antibodies over time that when she consumed a large amount of goat's milk at once she suffered an extreme immune response.
If you have allergies, it's important to take note of even the smallest symptoms that might build up over time. For instance, if you start developing a rash, try to isolate what is causing it. That could mean removing a lotion or soap from your routine or changing your eating habits. If you want any additional information about allergy control products or allergy solutions, contact Allergy Be Gone today.
