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Guthy Renker Corporation


What Cosmetics Businesses Are Not Informing the Customer About Hypoallergenic Beauty Products


The term hypoallergenic is a saying that probably most of us have heard before. It is used in advertisements and placed on product labels of shampoos, moisturizers, make-up, and even jewelry. A product that causes less or no allergic reactions is what most people think the meaning of hypoallergenic is. But is this really what it means?

Skin care product advertisers initially used the word in the sixties. The expression comes from the Greek prefix hypo, which means below or less. Less allergies is the actual translation of the word. Since it's inception the saying has been widely adopted and used by marketers and companies to sell products that claim to be softer on the skin than other products similar to it. But is this really true?

In 1974, the FDA attempted again to control products that claimed to be hypoallergenic. They said that a product could be deemed as hypoallergenic only if experiments were conducted on human subjects and it proved to be an obvious lower reaction to allergens than products not making the claim. The FDA then stated the cosmetics producers had to do these tests on their own and (most importantly) at their own cost. This as usual caused big upsets and manufacturers instantly began suits against the choice, claiming that the studies would pose an undue economic burden on them. The two most prolific challengers of this effort at standardization were Clinique and Almay, two manufacturers of hypoallergenic products.

By definition the cosmetics said to be hypoallergenic are forced to produce less allergic reactions to the product than cosmetics that are not hypoallergenic. People with sensitive skin, in addition to those with regular skin, may think that these products will be more gentle to their skin than non-hypoallergenic products. There are no Federal standards or terms that regulate the use of the saying hypoallergenic. A cosmetics producer can make the term mean whatever they want it to. Makers of goods proclaimed hypoallergenic are not required to report substantiation of their hypoallergenic properties to FDA. The saying hypoallergenic may have considerable market value in promoting cosmetic products to consumers on a retail basis, but physicians say it has very little meaning.

The Food and Drug Administration attempted again to standardize the use of the saying on June 6, 1975 by still requiring cosmetics producers to do scientific studies but the procedures for the studies were changed to lower the expense to the companies. Manufacturers who obviously didn't want any standards on the products they manufactured did not agree with this either. Cosmetic companies opposed the FDA choice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which ruled that the standard was invalid. The court stated the definition of hypoallergenic the FDA gave was unfair because of such little proof that customers perceived the word the same as it is described by the organization. The final result? Manufacturers can continue to advertise and label their products hypoallergenic without any kind of guidelines or laws set forth by the government. Consumers have no assurance that a product that says hypoallergenic is any less reactive than other products. Supposedly, a business could produce a product that is hypoallergenic that is full of poisons and allergy causing agents.

Requiring a list of ingredients the product has in it on the box seems to be the only victory the FDA had against the cosmetics companies. As customers, we must be aware of ingredients in the products we use because apparently the companies who make them aren't extremely concerned about our good health over their profit margins. There is no doubt that some products that exist that claim to be hypoallergenic really are, but if you are a wise consumer and concerned for you and your family's health, you will do the research on your own and not rely on unfounded companies claims .



Guthy Renker Corporation


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