Skin Care Articles

The word hypoallergenic is an expression that probably most of us have run across. It is used in advertisements and placed on product labels of shampoos, moisturizers, make-up, and even jewelry. A lot of consumers think it means a product that is hypoallergenic won't react with their allergies. But is this actually what it means?

Skin care product advertisers first used the saying in the 1960s. It comes from the Greek prefix hypo, which means below or less. So the saying translates to less allergens. Since it's invention the word has been commonly accepted and used by companies and advertisers to sell products that claim to be gentler on the skin than other products basically the same. But how true is this really?

The FDA sought out to put laws on products that claimed to be hypoallergenic in 1974. It said that a product could be labeled hypoallergenic only if tests were done on human subjects and it showed an obvious lower reaction to allergies than other products. They then said the manufacturers had to conduct these experiments on their own and (most importantly) at their own expense. This of course caused major problems and manufacturers immediately filed suits opposing the choice, saying that the experiments would pose an undue economic hardship on them. The two most aggressive opposition of this effort at standardization were Almay and Clinique, two makers of hypoallergenic beauty products.

The FDA tried again to control the use of the expression on June 6, 1975 by still requiring manufacturers to do experimental studies but the proceedings for the studies were altered to reduce the cost to the manufacturers. Manufacturers who obviously didn't want any regulations on the products they manufactured did not agree with this either. Cosmetic manufacturers challenged the FDA decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which judged that the guideline was no good. The court said the definition of hypoallergenic the FDA gave was invalid because of such little evidence that customers thought of the word the same as it is described by the organization. The final outcome? Manufacturers can continue to advertise and label their products hypoallergenic without any kind of regulation or laws set forth by the government. Customers have no way of knowing that a product labeled hypoallergenic is any less harsh than other products. A product could be full with toxins and allergens and a company could supposedly continue to produce it. The American Food and Drug Administration has said, Hypoallergenic cosmetics are products that producers say produce fewer allergic reactions than other cosmetic products. Consumers with hypersensitive skin, and also those with normal skin, may be led to believe that these products will be more gentle to their epidermis than non-hypoallergenic products. There are no Federal guidelines or definitions that regulate the use of the expression hypoallergenic. A manufacturer can make the term mean anything they want it to. Producers of products labeled as hypoallergenic are not required to report substantiation of their hypoallergenic properties to Food and Drug Administration. The word hypoallergenic may have substantial market value in popularizing beauty products to people on a retail basis, but doctors say it has very little meaning.

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 manufacturers. As consumers, we must have a knowledge of ingredients in the goods we use because obviously the companies who make them aren't extremely concerned about our health over their profit margins. There is without a doubt some products out there that claim to be hypoallergenic really are, but if you are a wise consumer and concerned about you and your family's well being, you will do some studying on your own and not rely on unfounded companies claims .