As the parent of a peanut and tree nut allergic child, I’m very careful about what I feed him so that he’s not exposed to his allergens, even in trace amounts. It’s not only the food ingested that can cause an allergic reaction, it’s the lotion you rub on your skin, or the lip balm you rub on your lips.
In a store today, I noticed a bottle of Aubrey Organics unscented body lotion, and I’m always looking for natural unscented products to use personally and on my children. I read the label and was very surprised to see macadamia nut oil in the ingredients. This led me to do some research online, and I’ve listed the allergens I found and the products they’re in for a couple of popular skin care lines.
These are very popular cosmetic lines, and I know that people without peanut or tree nut allergy enjoy them immensely. For the allergic, this is a very important reminder to look at the ingredients on everything you use. Since formulations change, check the ingredients list every time you purchase them to ensure they’re still safe. For good measure, if you use a product from a manufacturer that has your allergen on site, call them to find out what manufacturing processes they use to avoid cross-contamination.
If you’ve encountered allergens in grooming products you use, please leave a comment to let us know.
| Company | Allergen | Products That Contain This |
| Dr. HauschkaSource: http://www.drhauschka.ca
Accessed 13 January 2011 |
Peanut oil, disclosed as Arachis Hypogaea/Arachis Hypogaea Oil |
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| Almond Meal or Oil |
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| Macadamia Ternifolia/Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil |
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| Walnut | No products were found. | |
| Aubrey OrganicsSource:
http://www.aubrey-organics.com Accessed: 13 January 2011 |
Peanut or Arachis | No products came up in my search. |
| Almond | 39 items include almond in their ingredients.You can view them by clicking here. | |
| Macadamia | 11 items were found with macadamia oil in them, which you can view here. | |
| Walnut | 2 items were found, which you can view here. |
If you’re wondering if substances applied to the skin can cause anaphylaxis, they can: “When trying to determine the cause of an anaphylactic reaction, physicians and patients generally consider substances that had been ingested or injected, but may fail to consider agents that had been applied to the skin. However, the systemic absorption of many topically applied substances is well known, and in fact is used as the drug delivery system of choice (via transdermal patches) for such items as nicotine, scopolamine, and hormone replacement therapy. It must therefore be remembered that any topical application that is capable of causing systemic absorption is also capable of provoking systemic IgE mediated allergy—and not just cell-mediated contact dermatitis. Click here to the full article by Dr. Jeffrey Miller.
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