Skin Care Articles

Many of us have heard the saying hypoallergenic. It is used in advertising and put on product labels of shampoos, moisturizers, make-up, and even jewelry. Many folks think it means a product that is hypoallergenic won't react with allergens. But is this actually what it means?

Make-up advertisers initially used the expression in the 1960s. The word originates from the Grecian prefix hypo, which translates to below or less. So hypoallergenic means less allergens. Since it's creation the term has been widely adopted and used by advertisers, manufacturers, and marketers to sell products that say they are gentler on the skin than other products basically the same. But is this really the truth?

By rule the products said to be hypoallergenic are required to produce fewer allergic reactions to the product than the products that are not hypoallergenic. Users with sensitive skin, and also users with conventional skin, may think that these goods will be more gentle to their skin than non-hypoallergenic beauty products. There are no Federal laws or terms that regulate the use of the word hypoallergenic. A manufacturer can make the term mean whatever they want it to. Producers of cosmetics that claim to be hypoallergenic are not required to prove substantiation of their hypoallergenicity claims to FDA. The word hypoallergenic has little meaning according to physicians even though it is a significant marketing term.

In 1974, the FDA tried again to control products that claimed to be hypoallergenic. They said that a product could be proclaimed hypoallergenic only if studies were done on patients and it proved to be a significantly lower reaction to allergies than products not making the claim. They then said the manufacturers had to conduct these tests on their own and (most importantly) at their own expense. This obviously caused big upsets and cosmetics producers instantly began suits against the decision, claiming that the studies would pose an undue financial burden on them. Clinique and Almay, two manufacturers of hypoallergenic products, were the biggest challengers to the FDA.

The FDA tried again to standardize the use of the saying on June 6, 1975 by still requiring manufacturers to do experimental tests but the procedures for the studies were changed to lower the expense to the manufacturers. Manufacturers who evidently didn't want any regulations on the products they manufactured did not like this either. Cosmetic manufacturers opposed the FDA decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which ruled that the law was not binding. The court said the definition of hypoallergenic the FDA gave was unfair because of a lack of proof that consumers perceived the word the same as it is described by the organization. The final outcome? 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 harsh than any other products. Suffice it to say, a company could put out a product that is hypoallergenic that is full of toxins and allergens.

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 have a knowledge of ingredients in the products we consume because apparently the companies who make them aren't very concerned about our health over their money margins. There is undoubtedly some products out there that claim to be hypoallergenic really are, but if you are an intelligent consumer and concerned for you and your family's well being, you will do the research on your own and not be reliant on these companies proclamations Hypoallergenic? More accurately hypohonest.