Skin Care Articles

Many of us have heard the term hypoallergenic. It is used in advertisements and put 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 actually what it means?

Cosmetics advertisers originally used the term in the 60s. The word originates from the Greek prefix hypo, which translates to below or less. So hypoallergenic translates to less allergens. Since it's inception the term has been commonly adopted and used by advertisers, manufacturers, and marketers to sell products that say they are softer on the skin than other products basically the same. But is this really the truth?

The Food and Drug Administration attempted again to regulate the use of the word on June 6, 1975 by still requiring cosmetics producers to do scientific tests but the procedures for the studies were changed to reduce the cost to the companies. Manufacturers who apparently didn't want any regulations on the products they produced did not like this either. Cosmetic manufacturers opposed the FDA choice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which judged that the standard was invalid. The judges stated the definition of hypoallergenic the FDA gave was unfair because of a lack of evidence that consumers perceived the term in the way it is described by the organization. The result? Companies can continue to advertise and label their products hypoallergenic with no guidelines or laws set up by the government. Customers have no way of knowing that a product that says hypoallergenic is any less allergic than other products. A product could be loaded with poisons and allergens and a company could supposedly still make it. The FDA sought out to put guidelines on products that said they were hypoallergenic in 1974. It said that a product could be deemed as hypoallergenic only if studies were done on human patients and it showed a significantly lower reaction to allergens than products not making the claim. The FDA then said the manufacturers had to do these experiments on their own and (most importantly) at their own cost. This of course caused big upsets and companies without hesitation began lawsuits opposing the decision, saying that the experiments would pose an unfair economic hardship on them. Clinique and Almay, two producers of hypoallergenic products, were the most prolific challengers to the FDA.

By definition the products said to be hypoallergenic are forced to produce fewer allergic reactions to the cosmetics than those that are not hypoallergenic. Consumers with delicate skin, as well as consumers with conventional skin, may be led to believe that these goods will be gentler to their epidermis than non-hypoallergenic products. There are no Federal rules or definitions that standardize the use of the term hypoallergenic. A manufacturer can make the term mean whatever they want it to. Producers of goods labeled as hypoallergenic are not required to prove substantiation of their hypoallergenicity claims to Food and Drug Administration. The word hypoallergenic has insubstantial meaning according to doctors even though it is a significant marketing term.

The lone little triumph that the FDA seems to have had is that at least now manufacturers are now required to put the ingredients on the labels of the products so that consumers can stay away from chemicals that they know they are allergic to or have had difficulties with before. As customers, we must be aware of ingredients in the goods we use because apparently the companies who make them aren't terribly concerned about our health over their money margins. There is no doubt that some products that exist that claim to be hypoallergenic actually are, but if you are a smart consumer and concerned about you and your family's well being, you will do some studying yourself and not be reliant on these companies claims .