Recently, our support team has been answering questions about a specific topic: gluten. We are frequently asked the following questions:
"I have a gluten allergy / gluten sensitivity. What gluten-free cosmetics are available" or "Do I even have to use gluten-free cosmetics?
Gluten-free products are currently all the rage. For a few years now, you can find them in every supermarket and now they are also conquering the cosmetics industry. An increasing number of brands are advertising the absence of this allergen in their products on their packaging, and more and more articles (including this one) are being dedicated to this topic...
Now, of course, many questions arise: Are gluten-free products even useful? Do people who suffer from coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity have to do without gluten-containing cosmetic products - do they need gluten-free products?
The short answer is: no.
Of course, coeliac disease are serious nutritional problems that are not to be trifled with. In addition today many humans, who would like to avoid gluten for different reasons as far as possible come - even if they are not allergic to it.
To live gluten-free has become a real lifestyle issue, which now extends far beyond the kitchen. But when people start to freak out because of the wheat germ oil in their skin cream or the barley in their shampoo, one thing must be made very clear: at the moment there is no scientific evidence to support the theory that gluten causes problems in cosmetic products.
Even people who suffer from dermatitis herpetiformis Duhring, where gluten causes the skin to develop severe inflammation and blisters, do not have any problems. Because even in these people, the inflammatory reactions are triggered exclusively by gluten absorption via the digestive system and an associated autoimmune reaction. When gluten comes into contact with the skin, nothing happens.
The reason for this is simple: the protein molecules of gluten are much too large to be absorbed by the skin. There have been studies in which the researchers applied products containing gluten to the skin of people suffering from celiac disease. In no case symptoms were found.
(Note: It has been shown that hydrolyzed wheat protein - HWP or hydrolyzed wheat protein - can cause hives in cosmetics. People with eczema are particularly susceptible to this. However, this is not related to celiac disease or gluten sensitivity).
Quick Summary
Cosmetic products containing gluten should not harm people with celiac disease as long as they do not swallow the products unintentionally. In order to reduce the risk, one should make sure with lip care products, lipsticks, toothpastes, mouthwashes ... that these are gluten-free. In addition, foundations, if they accidentally get into the mouth, and also hand or nail products should be gluten-free, after all, you touch your mouth more often thoughtlessly.