Look, we get it: We have friends and family members diagnosed with celiac disease—it is a legit dietary concern. And there are those with a gluten intolerance. And others still who, for whatever reason, simply choose to avoid the stuff.

Clearly, going GF is a lifestyle choice—one that extends way beyond the kitchen. But when people start needlessly freaking out about the wheat-germ oil in their body lotion or the barley in their volumizing shampoo, there's just not enough science to back it up.

Robyn Gmyrek, a dermatologist in New York City who happens to have a rare form of celiac disease called dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), which manifests on the skin. Yet even in those special cases where the skin is the direct target of the inflammatory cascade, it’s still only the ingestion of gluten that trips the rash—not gluten-to-skin contact. “Topically applied gluten is not absorbed through the skin—the protein molecules are far too large—so it can’t trigger the formation of those antibodies that result in a rash or GI symptoms,” Gmyrek explains. “Researchers have done gluten challenging on people with celiac disease [applying gluten-containing products to the skin], and it’s simply not an issue.”

Gluten-containing beauty products should pose no harm to those with celiac disease unless they’re accidentally swallowed. To reduce the risk, Gmyrek suggests going gluten-free on all lip products, toothpastes, and mouthwashes, and maybe even foundations, which could be inadvertently wiped into the mouth, and also hand and nail products, for those who mindlessly put their fingers in their mouths. “While you’re unlikely to ingest enough of any product to cause a reaction, some people with celiac, and especially DH, are extraordinarily sensitive,” she says.

Gluten can be very sneaky and as many of you know appears in all different places. Below is a list of the many ingredients gluten can hide in your beauty products:

Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Cyclodextrin, Dextrin, Dextrin Palmitate, Hydrolyzed Malt Extract, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Flour, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Flour, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Gluten, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch, Wheat Amino Acids, Wheat Germ Glycerides, Wheat Germamidopropalkonium Chloride, Wheat Protein, Wheatgermamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Yeast Extract

HERE ARE SOME GLUTEN-FREE BEAUTY OPTIONS

Our aim is to help cosmetics companies across Europe - those that have been operating for a while, as well as start-ups. We provide assistance throughout the whole process of product-development, eg. the formulation of recipes, the auditing of already existing products, the design, brand and packaging, drafting the documentation for the introduction of the product to the market, production, and complete project management.

For more information, check out our website: www.atcosmetics.hu