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Doctor Q&A Eczema Tips

Sensitive Skin Product Series – What Ingredient to Avoid

I ‘met’ Laura Verallo Rowell Bertotto, the CEO of VMVGroup, on twitter and learnt that her company is the only hypoallergenic brand that validates its hypoallergenicity.

VMV Hypoallergenics is founded in 1979 by Dr. Vermén Verallo-Rowell who is a world renowned dermatologist, dermatopathologist and dermatology/laser surgeon, also an author, esteemed researcher and speaker. 

Sensitive Skin Skincare Product Interview series with Dr Vermen Verallo Rowell VMV Hypoallergenics
  1. Sensitive Skin Product Series – What is Hypoallergenic?
  2. What does Natural Skincare Product mean?
  3. What is considered Organic and Non-Comedogenic?
  4. What does Suitable for Eczema Children mean?
  5. What is Patch Testing (for skincare product ingredients?)
  6. How do you read ingredients on skincare product label?
  7. What does Irritant-Free mean?
  8. What ingredients in skincare product to avoid?
  9. How is Coconut Oil used in skincare?
  10. What is product cross-reactivity?
  11. How many ingredients in a skincare product?
  12. How to use skincare products on Sensitive Skin?
  13. How to manage the diaper area?
List of Ingredients that could Irritate in skincare product
List of Ingredients that could Irritate Skin

How to Choose Moisturizer

Marcie Mom: For a parent on a tight budget (also considering long term and frequent use of moisturizers), should he/she start the child on the cheapest lotion/cream available? If not, is there certain baseline to start with, for instance, it must state ‘suitable for infant with eczema’ or not contain ‘perfume’?

Dr. Verallo-Rowell: The answer is no. Many cheap products are strongly/nicely scented to cover up for the natural scent of less-pure cosmetic ingredients versus, for example, pharmaceutical-grade or higher-quality or purer ingredients, which are frequently more expensive. Some cheaper products are dyed with relatively cheap ingredients to add attractiveness in children’s eyes. Cheap or expensive, preservation is also problem, as are added antibiotics. All these are allergens and break down the skin’s natural barrier.

Many cheap products are strongly/nicely scented to cover up for the natural scent of less-pure cosmetic ingredients

Make function be the basis for your choice. Remember that in different forms of eczemas you pay attention to the skin’s outermost barrier layer: genetic innate barrier dysfunction initiates atopic; allergic or irritant reaction breaks down the barrier in contact; food around the mouth area can physically act on the barrier, and secondarily, bacteria cross damaged barrier in all types of eczemas. Hence to keep the barrier as intact as possible:

Place the least irritating, partially occluding product you can find without any of the above: scents, preservatives, antibiotics, dyes.

Mineral oil and pertroleum jelly are long time favorites of us dermatologists. They are cheap and excellent barriers, but they are petrochemical derived. Consider non-preserved, non-adulterated oils. For this my favorite is virgin coconut oil because it needs no preservation and is broken down by lipases of friendly skin bacteria into monoglycerides with antiseptic properties. I have a published paper on VCO vs. Olive oil in Atopic Dermatitis that includes comparison on Staph. Aureus action by both oils.

Can you list for us some common irritants and list them on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the most likely to cause allergy)?

It’ll also be great if you can let us know if there are other common names for these irritants.

Perfume, Fragrance

Benzyl alcohol (Phenylmethanol / Phenylcarbinol), also
named as Natural grape aromatic preserves & scents in
“fragrance-free products
Carvone (d-carvone, d-1-Methyl-4-isopropenyl-6-cyclohexen-2-one, essential oils from dill, caraway seeds, spearmint, orange peel
Cananga odorata(Ylang ylang, Cananga distillates)
Cinnamic aldehyde (Cinnamaldehyde),
from bark camphor, cassia cinnamon trees
Colophonium Rosin (Abietic acid, alcohol, Abitol), a resin
from pine tree
Extracts of common plants of the (Astraceae/ Compositae
family: yarrow, mountain arnica, German chamomile,  
feverfew, tansy) – Botanic addictives

Preservatives

Bacitracin  (An Antibiotic )
p-Chloro-M-Xylenol (Chlroxylenol, PCMX)
Clioquinol
Formaldehyde (Formalin, Methaldehyde, Methanal)
Diazolidinyl urea (Germall II) and    Imidazolidinyl urea
(Germal 115, Eukyl K 200)
Dimethylol dihydroxy ethyleneurea (DMDHEU)
DMDM Hydantoin (Glydant)
Quarternium 15 (Dowicil 200)
Methyldibromo glutaronitrile + 2 phenoxyethanol
(Eukyl K 400)
Methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone
(MCI/MI Eukyl K100, Kathon CG)

Parabens

Methyl, Ethyl , Propyl, Butyl Paraben.  Please see also above in Preservatives

Propylene Glycol

1,2 Propanediol

Lanolin

Lanolin alcohol, Wool Alcohol

Colorant/Dye

Disperse blue 124/106  Mix (Thiazol-azoyl-p-phenylene
diamine derivative dyes)
p-Phenylenediamine

Conventional emulsifiers

Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine  (Amidoamine)
Dimethylaminopropylamine (DMAPA)
Cocamide DEA (Coconut Diethanolamide)
Cocamidopropyl betaine
Oleamidopropyl dimethylamine
Decyl glucoside  from glucose (corn starch) & decanol fatty acid from coconut
Ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (Chlorethamine)

Mineral oils – actually quite skin safe. A favorite among dermatologists.

Paraffin – same as mineral oil.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate – An Irritant especially when present in higher concentrations. Not too common as an Allergen.

7 replies on “Sensitive Skin Product Series – What Ingredient to Avoid”

Hi..my girl age 2+ have eczema since baby time ..currently on steriod n ceradan as moisturiser..cetaphil body restorederm on body wash.would you have any recommendation for shampoo ?? I saw moogoo new eczema n polorasis crean n also maya’s cream was wondering if you have any review of using e cream urself or others.im using baby california sensitive hair n bodywash but they nw include sodium benzoate which im worry n I will like to hv a change
Currently e cetaphil my girl will sting her eyes..she love to play ard e wash on her body n rub her eyes 🙁 u have any recommendation ?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you

Good to hear from you Bernadette, and it’s nice to know that you’ve found out the ingredients that you are allergic to. If you are in US, I think you can ask your dermatologist to key in these ingredients into a database and the list of products that you can be used will be generated.
Cheers!

I have been diagnosed with an allergy to Thimerosal and Dimethylol dihyrdoxyethylene urea. Can you identify health care products that CAN be used that do not have these preservative in them. Thank you

Your sharing will help others!