Category Beauty

Mineral Oil Sensitivity

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I was compelled to revisit this topic because I foolishly went against my better judgement and used a product which I happen to hate, with disastrous results. I hate Lubriderm products and think they are a scam due to the presence of mineral oil. Mineral oil is a very cheap filler which is used in skincare products and cosmetics. What many people don’t realize is that some individuals suffer from mineral oil sensitivity and truly cannot come into contact with it. Sadly, I am one of those people.

Lubriderm is touted as a “dermatologist tested” product, which basically doesn’t mean a thing. Apparently the dermatologists who tested this product weren’t aware of the fact that mineral oil can be a very reactive substance for a segment of the population. I for one have ALWAYS been reactive, though I could never understand as a child why I always broke out in itchy rashes within an hour of being exposed to baby oil. To this day, a high concentration of mineral oil will drive me into an itchy frenzy. This was the main reason why I hesitated when the idea of trying Lubriderm once again, but my stubbornness won out.

I used Lubriderm lotion for normal to dry skin for one week, and during that entire time, experienced itchy skin which only got worse at night, as well as a diffuse papular (raised) rash which covered my shoulders, arms, and thighs. On the last day in which I used the Lubriderm, I actually broke out into hives on my thighs!

As soon as I stopped using Lubriderm, the rash cleared up without any intervention. This was a clear sign that I was indeed still very sensitive to mineral oil, and that it was tragic that products could still be found which listed mineral oil among its top 5 ingredients.

PIt’s important to bear in mind that mineral oil is manufactured from crude oil, and as a result can cause pronounced reactions in people who are sensitive. Such reactions aren’t confined to skin rashes, but also include headaches Mineral-Oilor joint aches. Mineral oil can also disguise itself as petrolatum, paraffin, or propylene glycol.

lease please please be aware that mineral oil sensitivity is very real!

Eye Makeup Removers And Eye Irritation

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Сleaning woman face with cotton pads. Cosmetic treatment.

I used to get allergic blepharitis from time to time, which is characterized by severe swelling and redness of the eyelid from an allergen. It was ugly and painful and took about a week to resolve with warm, wet compresses, lid cleanses two to three times daily, and prescription eye ointment. Interestingly enough, this was when I was experimenting with a lot of different pigments from MAC Cosmetics and using a considerable amount of eye makeup remover. After doing some sleuthing, I discovered that my flareups all stemmed from two substances: bismuth and benzylkonium chloride. Bismuth is a mineral which is frequently used in eye shadows and eye pigments, while benzylkonium chloride is commonly used in eye makeup removers. As soon as I switched eye makeup remover brands and stopped using certain eye makeup items, the horrid eyelid irritation vanished.

In this post, I am picking solely on eye makeup removers because there are major brands which contain benzylkonium chloride. Here are two major brands which I used to use.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover –

This is a very popular brand and used to be my staple. But check out the label ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Poloxamer 182, Allantoin, Tripotassium EDTA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate. Little did I know that I was potentiating the blepharitis by using a makeup remover!

Lancome Bi-Facil –

This was my mom’s favorite, but because of the benzylkonium chloride I cannot use it.

You may be wondering how I figured this out. Because I am a physician, published researcher and a scientist, I know how to apply deductive reasoning, as well as set up experiments. Although I could include clinical data here, I would rather give a simple explanation of how horrible and harmful benzylkonium chloride is. Here is a succinct and excellent description:

“The Cosmetic Safety Database states that there is a moderate to strong evidence that benzalkonium chloride is an immune, skin, and respiratory toxicant, with laboratory tests hinting at mutative (carcinogenic) effects. The safety data sheet (MSDS) indicates the ingredient is a skin and eye irritant, and can be corrosive to both, with the amount of damage depending on the length of contact.” (From http://www.annmariegianni.com/)

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel very comfortable about coming into contact with a substance that is so harmful. What is especially disturbing is that this substance is found in hand sanitizers and eye drops. It is worth spending an extra minute to read ingredient labels before you purchase something that might contain a harmful ingredient.