Is there anything more woe-inspiring than being excited to try a brand-new skincare product only to find that a couple of days of use have left you itchy, inflamed, and irritated? While the clean beauty movement is doing its part to ensure that the skincare products you use are actually good for your skin, the same can’t be said for many drugstore cosmetic lines.

Instead, they rely on ingredients that are well-known for triggering allergic reactions like contact dermatitis.

The FDA classifies cosmetic allergens into five categories: natural rubber, fragrances, preservatives, dyes, and metals. These have shown clinical evidence of being responsible for unexpected skin reactions that can leave you with serious buyer’s remorse.

We’ll review these allergens and where they’re most often hiding so you can be on the defense the next time you’re perusing the drug store makeup aisle.

Natural Rubber

Natural rubber or latex has practical benefits because of its flexibility and ability to form a protective, waterproof barrier. These characteristics make it a go-to ingredient for products that need a certain durability, like makeup sponges, eyelash glue, eyeliner, and face paint.

The problem is that latex comes from the Brazilian rubber tree sap, so it contains plant proteins that can trigger an immune response that affects around 1-6% of the population.

Check Your Labels For:

  • Natural Rubber Latex
  • Natural Latex Rubber
  • Rubber Latex
  • Natural Latex
  • Latex Rubber
  • Natural Centrifuged Latex
  • Natural Liquid Latex
  • Aqueous Latex Adhesive
  • Latex

Fragrances

There’s something far more appealing about cosmetics with a unique scent. It turns your morning routine into a multi-sensory experience and, when layered just right, results in a signature scent that lasts all day.

Unfortunately, they also make up the bulk of the allergen list.

What makes scents tricky is that they’re very rarely just one ingredient. Sometimes, dozens of the 26 oils and alcohols on the FDA’s list come together to create a single primary fragrance, so they’re not even included on the bottle.

Check Your Labels For:

Floral and Sweet Scents

  • Amyl cinnamal and cinnamyl alcohol: Jasmine-like; can be synthetic or naturally sourced from cinnamon leaves and balsam of Peru.
  • Amylcinnamyl alcohol: A spicy-scented synthetic fragrance used in perfumes, hair care, and more.
  • Benzyl alcohol: Synthetic or naturally derived from cinnamon oil, it acts as a preservative with a light scent.
  • Benzyl cinnamate: Compound fragrance consisting of benzyl alcohol and cinnamic acid ester. Adds a soft, warm, balsam wood undertone.
  • Cinnamaldehyde: Known for its warm, spicy cinnamon scent, often used in hair spray, foundation, and concealer.
  • Citronellol: Found in floral perfumes, especially rose.
  • Eugenol: Phenolic plant compound found in cloves and most often found in perfumes and soaps.
  • Farnesol: A co-solvent fragrance present in many essential oils like lemon grass, rose, musk, and citronella. Lilac-scented perfume is a common culprit.
  • Lilial: A synthetic floral fragrance that smells similar to lilies but is present in tomato plants. Not only is it an allergen, but the EU has banned it entirely due to it’s endocrine disrupting properties that interfere with natural hormone functions which can have an impact on fertility. It can also be found under the names butylphenyl methylpropional, lilyaldehyde, lysmeral and lisestralis.

Fruity and Fresh

  • Citral: The oil that gives citrus peels their distinctive, zesty aroma.
  • d-Limonene: One of the most popular components of fragrances and flavors sourced from citrus fruits. It is known for its fresh, zesty citrus scent in soaps and cleaning products.
  • Geraniol: Named after the geranium and the primary component in citronella, this plant alcohol is abundant in rose essential oil but is more likely to appear in fruity aromas like raspberry and peach.
  • Linalool: This essential oil has a light, floral, lavender-like aroma with a hint of spice and is used in many skincare products. It is derived from mint plants, cinnamon, citrus fruits, birch trees, Brazilian wood  and coriander seeds.
  • Hexyl cinnamal: Found in chamomile oil, but usually synthetic in commercial us, it adds a fruity and floral fragrance; very common in shampoo and conditioner.

Warm, Woody, Earthy Scents

  • Benzyl benzoate: Derived from Peruvian and Tulu balsams, it adds a balsamic, slightly floral note to both men and women’s perfumes, shampoo, and hair serums.
  • Coumarin: Sweet, vanilla, almond or fresh-cut hay scent used in perfumes and lotions, and obtained from the Tonka Bean.
  • Isoeugenol: Isolated from the Asian Ylang Ylang Tree, it’s a commonly used spicy, warm note, used in perfumes with clove-like scents.
  • Oakmoss extract: Adds an earthy, woody note commonly used in men’s fragrances.
  • Tree moss extract: Like oak moss, but sourced from Pine and Fir Trees, adds depth with an earthy, green scent.

Synthetic and Complex Fragrances

  • Hydroxycitronellal: A synthetic lilac or lily scent produced from naturally occurring scent chemical citronellal found in serums, lipstick, foundation, and many hair products.
  • Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (HICC): A good rule of thumb: If the name is that long, it’s probably not what you want to put on your skin. You’re more likely to find HICC listed as Lyral. The aromatic chemical can be synthesized from myrcene, which is a hydrocarbon naturally present in plants such as thyme, hops and lemongrass.
  • Methyl 2-octynoate: A rarely-used fatty acid ester.
  • g-Methylionone: Provides a soft, powdery violet scent that can contribute up to 25% of the fragrance formula in some products but is largely limited to haircare products and laundry soap. It is a synthetically made and naturally occurring organic compound found in Brewer’s yeasts.

Preservatives

To extend the shelf life of beauty products, manufacturers include preservatives that prevent harmful microbial growth, such as mold, yeast, and bacteria.

Two preservatives– methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone– are typically added to “rinse-off” products like shampoo and conditioner because they would spoil very quickly due to our showers’ warm, humid environments. Cosmetics are more likely to contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.

Some brands are exploring natural preservatives. Some include naturally antimicrobial essential oils found in plants, like potassium sorbate in berries and phenoxyethanol in green tea and chicory.

Check Your Label For:

  • Methylisothiazolinone
  • Methylchloroisothiazolinone
  • Formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing ingredients:
    • Bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol)
    • 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane
    • Diazolidinyl urea
    • DMDM hydantoin (1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhydantoin)
    • Imidazolidinyl urea
    • Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate
    • Quaternium-15 (Dowicil 200; N-(3-chloroallyl) hexaminium chloride)

Dyes or Color Additives

Only a couple of cosmetic dyes and color additives are considered potential allergens: p-phenylenediamine (PPD), which is found in boxed hair color treatments, and coal-tar-based dye. Of the latter, the FDA notes that products with coal-tar dye have to include the following statement:

“Caution – This product contains ingredients which may cause skin irritation on certain individuals and a preliminary test according to accompanying directions should first be made. This product must not be used for dyeing the eyelashes or eyebrows; to do so may cause blindness. (FD&C Act, 601(a))”

Check Your Label For:

  • p-phenylenediamine (PPD)
  • Coal-tar
  • FD&C or D&C followed by a color name and number

Metals

Metals might seem like the last thing you’d find in your cosmetics, but they’re pretty standard, though not in the form of literal chunks of metal.

Nickel, for example, is not allowed in cosmetics, but there is a threshold tolerance for cross-contamination from other mineral pigments like titanium oxide and manganese. Some brands are nickel-tested, meaning they contain less than 0.0001% of the metal, but there, it’s only safe for around 90% of people with the allergy. The other 10% can still have a severe reaction.

Gold additives are less accidental and appear in “luxury” brands due to their supposed antibacterial and moisturizing properties. Even though it’s marketed as a high-end ingredient, repeated exposure to gold can cause you to develop an allergy to it, so it’s best to skip the metal altogether.

Check Your Label For:

  • Nickel (CI 77489, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
  • Gold (CI 77480)

Clean Beauty: Clinically-Proven to Be Better For Your Skin

If you’d like to learn more about clean beauty, check out our post on making the switch from conventional cosmetics. It’s better for you and the environment and an overall more ethical choice.

You can also shop our selection of clinically tested, dermatologist-preferred cosmetics from jane iredale, “The Skincare Makeup®.” To place your order or schedule a color consultation, give us a call at 952-915-6000 ext. 5.

We’d also encourage you to use EWG’s Skin Deep® database to check their list of alternative names for these ingredients and products that contain them.