Are our cosmetics dangerous - part 2

An allergen is an agent that causes an allergy. Every cosmetic product has a formulation and may contain one or more allergens. To help you identify dangerous and harmful allergens on your cosmetic packaging, there is an "official" list of 26 allergens in Europe.

The list of allergens (INCI names):

Amyl Cinnamal - Benzyl Alcohol - Cinnamyl Alcohol - Citral - Eugenol - Hydroxycitronellal - Isoeugenol - Amylcinnamyl Alcohol - Benzyl Salicylate - Cinnamal - Coumarin - Geraniol - Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclo Hexene Carboxaldehyde - Anise Alcohol - Benzyl Cinnamate - Farnesol - Butylphenyl Methylpropional - Linalool - Benzyl Benzoate - Citronellol - Hexyl Cinnamal - Limonene - Methyl 2_Octynoate - Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone - Evernia Prunastri -Evernia Furfuracea

These 26 compounds, particularly present in essential oils, must be listed in the ingredients list (INCI list), as soon as they are present at more than 0.01% in rinse-off products and more than 0.001% in leave-on products.

Irritating substances

In addition to these allergenic substances, other ingredients can cause skin irritations. Allergenic substances cause reactions in all people who have developed an allergy to these ingredients. Conversely, irritating substances can cause redness and itching in any individual.

Among the irritating substances, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, or methylisothiazolinone (MIT) have recently been recognized for their side effects. MIT is a new preservative used in cosmetics as a substitute for parabens (read our article on parabens to understand its dangers). MIT is not recommended as it causes many diseases such as eczema. Ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate are very good detergents with high foaming power. They are present in many hygiene and cosmetic products. They can have an irritating effect on the eyes and skin. They are likely to be contaminated by toxic ingredients, endocrine disruptors. They can penetrate tissues and settle as residues in areas of the heart, liver, lungs, or even the brain.

Advice: We advise you to remove any irritating substance from your cosmetics by checking the ingredients list (complete list in our article "List of ingredients to avoid"). If you have allergy symptoms, check that your products do not contain any ingredients from the list of 26 allergens. If in doubt, perform a patch test on your forearm before applying the cosmetic product to your skin to ensure you are not allergic to any of the compounds.

Make the right choice when buying your cosmetics…