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Guthy Renker Corporation


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


Most of us have heard the saying hypoallergenic. Make-up, moisturizers, shampoos, and even jewelry use it on their labels and in advertising. Most people think it means a product that is hypoallergenic won't react with their allergies. But what does the term really mean?

The expression first appeared in the sixties from cosmetics advertisers. The word originates from the Greek prefix hypo, which means below or less. Less allergens is the actual translation of the word. Since it's invention it has been widely accepted and used by companies and advertisers to sell products that say they are softer on the skin than other products similar to it. But is this really how it is?

The American Food and Drug Administration has stated, Hypoallergenic cosmetics are products that manufacturers claim produce fewer allergic reactions than competing cosmetic products. People with sensitive skin, in addition to people with regular skin, may be led to believe that these products will be more gentle to their skin than non-hypoallergenic beauty products. There are no Federal standards or definitions that control the use of the expression hypoallergenic. It means whatever a specific producer wants it to mean. Makers of products that claim to be hypoallergenic are not required to prove substantiation of their hypoallergenicity claims to Food and Drug Administration. The term hypoallergenic may have considerable market value in boosting sales of skin care products to consumers on a retail basis, but physicians say it has little meaning.

The Food and Drug Administration attempted again to control the use of the expression on June 6, 1975 by still requiring cosmetics producers to do experimental tests but the proceedings for the experiments were altered to lower the expense to the companies. Manufacturers who evidently didn't want any standards on the products they manufactured did not like this either. Cosmetic companies challenged the FDA choice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which judged that the regulation was not binding. The court said the definition of hypoallergenic the FDA gave was not fair because of a lack of proof that customers thought of the word in the way it is described by the organization. The result? Companies can continue to advertise and label their products hypoallergenic without any kind of rules or standard set forth by the government. People have no guarantee that a product labeled hypoallergenic is any less harsh than any other products. Theoretically, a business could put out a product that is hypoallergenic that is loaded with toxins and allergens. In 1974, the FDA tried again to regulate products that said they were hypoallergenic. The FDA said that a product could be proclaimed hypoallergenic only if tests were conducted on test subjects and it showed a significantly lower reaction to allergens than products not making the claim. It then stated the manufacturers had to do these experiments on their own and (most importantly) at their own expense. This as usual caused major problems and companies without delay began suits against the choice, saying that the experiments would pose an undue economic strain on them. Clinique and Almay, two producers of hypoallergenic products, were the most aggressive challengers to the FDA.

The lone small victory that the FDA seems to have had is that at least now manufacturers now have to put the ingredients on the labels of the products so that people can avoid substances that they know they are allergic to or have had difficulties with in the past. As consumers, we must be aware of ingredients in the products we consume because apparently the companies who create them aren't extremely concerned about our good health over their profit margins. There is without a doubt some products that exist that claim to be hypoallergenic really are, but if you are an intelligent person and concerned about you and your family's health, you will do the research on your own and not be reliant on unfounded companies claims .



Guthy Renker Corporation


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