Skin Care Articles

Many of us are familiar with the word hypoallergenic. It is used in advertisements and placed on product labels of shampoos, moisturizers, make-up, and even jewelry. folks think it means a product that is hypoallergenic won't react with their allergies. But what does the term actually mean?

The expression first appeared in the sixties from cosmetics advertisers. The saying comes from the Grecian prefix hypo, which means below or less. So the saying means less allergies. Since it's invention the expression has been commonly adopted and used by companies and advertisers to sell products that say they are less reactive on the skin than other products basically the same. But is this really the truth?

By definition the cosmetics described as hypoallergenic are required to create fewer allergic reactions to the product than those that are not hypoallergenic. Consumers with oversensitive skin, as well as those with conventional skin, may perceive that these products will be gentler to their epidermis than non-hypoallergenic beauty products. There are no Federal laws or definitions that govern the use of the word hypoallergenic. A manufacturer can make the term mean whatever they want it to. Manufacturers of cosmetics that claim to be hypoallergenic are not required to prove substantiation of their hypoallergenic properties to Food and Drug Administration. The word hypoallergenic may have a big market value in popularizing cosmetic products to people on a retail basis, but dermatologists say it has little meaning.

The FDA sought out to put rules on products that said they were hypoallergenic in 1974. They stated that a product could be labeled hypoallergenic only if tests were conducted on human patients and it showed an obvious lower reaction to allergies than products not making the claim. It then stated the manufacturers had to conduct these studies on their own and (most importantly) at their own expense. This as usual caused major problems and cosmetics producers instantly filed suits against the choice, saying that the studies would cause an unjust financial strain on them. Clinique and Almay, two manufacturers of hypoallergenic products, were the most prolific challengers to the FDA.

On June 6, 1975, the FDA again attempted to control using the term hypoallergenic by continuing to require tests be conducted, but with alterations to reduce costs of manufacturers. This still didn't sit well with the manufacturers who obviously wanted no regulations on the products they were making. Cosmetic manufacturers challenged the FDA choice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which decided that the standard was no good. The court stated the definition of hypoallergenic the FDA gave was invalid because of such little proof that people thought of the word in the way it is described by the organization. The final outcome? Cosmetics producers can continue to advertise and label their products hypoallergenic with no guidelines or laws set forth by the government. People have no assurance that a product that says hypoallergenic is any less harsh than any other products. A product could be full with poisons and allergy causing agents and a company could supposedly continue to produce it.

Requiring a list of ingredients the product contains on the box seems to be the only triumph the FDA had against the cosmetics manufacturers. As consumers, we must have a knowledge of ingredients in the goods we use because obviously the manufacturers who produce them aren't extremely concerned about our good health over their money margins. There is without a doubt some products that exist that claim to be hypoallergenic really are, but if you are an intelligent consumer and concerned about you and your family's health, you will do the research yourself and not rely on these companies claims .