Should you be concerned about Gluten in your cosmetics?

In this Article (Index)

• Gluten in Cosmetics is Unlikely to Harm You
• Wheat proteins in cosmetics and Wheat Allergy
• Identifying Gluten in Cosmetics
• Gluten Related Skin Disorders
• Dermatitis Herpetiformis
• Summing it up

Gluten in Cosmetics is Unlikely to Harm You

The answer provided by reliable scientific sources is that gluten absorbed by the skin hasn't yet been proven to be harmful to those suffering from celiac disease (CD). To provoke an adverse reaction in these patients, gluten has to be absorbed by the small intestine. There is no way that gluten absorbed by the blood vessels on the skin to reach the inner liner of the intestines.

"There is currently no scientific evidence that gluten used in cosmetics that are not ingested is harmful to individuals with celiac disease, including those with dermatitis herpetiformis (the skin form of celiac disease)." (10)

Gluten is only harmful to those suffering from gluten-related diseases, if ingested. So it could be possible for gluten from a skincare product to be eaten if the person using it didn't wash their hands before touching food they are eating.

Swallowing a gluten-containing cosmetic could be an issue so it would be a good idea to avoid using them on your lips, around the mouth or in dental-care products.

Wheat allergy (WA), which we discuss in another section is a rare but strong skin reaction to wheat-based ingredients found in cosmetics. These should be avoided by people who suffer from wheat allergy. (1)

Opting for gluten-free cosmetics is a personal decision, but as you will see in this article, gluten in cosmetics is not problematic for those who are gluten intolerant. Other ingredients or contaminants found in cosmetics like microplastics or nanoplastics, are more cause for concern.

Wheat proteins in cosmetics and Wheat Allergy

Wheat is used as a raw material for certain proteins found in cosmetics known as hydrolized wheat protein (HWP) and hydrolized wheat gluten (HWG).

The wheat is treated and its protein is broken down (hydrolized) into smaller pieces, a mixture of amino acids and peptides that are used in cosmetics for their hydrating properties.

They are mostly used as a hair and skin conditioning agent and as film formers. They are produced by breaking down wheat protein with acids, enzymes or other chemicals.
Roughly half of the products using HWP are non-coloring hair products and about half of those using HWG are hair tints. (7)

However hydrolized wheat proteins can provoke rare yet severe allergic reactions. (3), (4)

The skin reactions involve urticaria and allergic contact eczema. Neverthelss, the European Union and the U.S Cosmetics Ingredients Review Expert Panel have considered that hydrolyzed wheat proteins are safe for cosmetics in cosmetic products as long as the maximum molecular weight of the peptieds in these hydrolizates is 3500 Da or less. (5). (6)Meaning that small-size (low molecular weight) protein chunks called peptides are safe to use and are not expected to cause the adverse reactions that larger particles produce.

Only a small number of people affected with CD have reported rashes after using skincare products containing gluten. An Italian study conducted back in 2012 (13) found that some celiac patients had cutaneous hypersensitivity, but that their sking condition (dermatologic eczematous lesions) improved when they stopped using gluten-containing products and avoided contact with gluten containing foodstuff.

Gluten in lipstick and oral hygene products

A study published by Italian researchers in 2019 (8) tessted the level of gluten in oral hygene and cosmetic products found in the Italian market. They included mouthwashes, toothpaste, lipstick, lip-balm and dental tablets. They found that "Out of 66 oral hygiene and cosmetics, 62 products (94%) were found to be gluten-free (gluten level <20 ppm), while 4 (6%) (toothpastes = 3; lipsticks = 1) showed a gluten level >20 ppm (toothpastes: 20.7, 31.4, and 35 ppm; lipstick: 27.4 ppm). None of the selected products had ingredient derived from wheat, barley, or rye."
20 parts per million (ppm) is the upper limit for gluten content in food accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the FDA does not regulate gluten content in cosmetics. (9)

Ths study concluded that:

Gluten contamination is currently not an issue in a wide array of cosmetic and oral hygiene products that are commonly in the market. (Verma AK, Lionetti E, Gatti S, Franceschini E, Catassi GN, Catassi C., (2019)

Identifying Gluten in Cosmetics

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines a cosmetic as "a product, except soap, intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance." (10)
Cosmetics must list their ingredients so those that are linked to gluten should be easy to spot.

However, the FDA does not regulate the presence of gluten in cosmetics. It has clear guidelines regarding gluten in food labeled as "Gluten-Free" but none for cosmetics. The food guidelines are the following:

The upper limit for gluten in food must be less than 20 ppm, and should not contain: (9, (12)

• Ingredients that are any type of wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds of these grains.
• Ingredients derived from these grains and that have not been processed to remove gluten

So, based on the above if you are concerned about gluten or gluten-containing ingredients in your cosmetics, look out for these ingredients in the label:

• Wheat, rye, barley, malt, oats^✤
• Their scientific names in Latin "triticum vulgare" for wheat, "avena sativa" for oates, "secale cereale" for rye, and "hordeum vulgare" for barley.
• Other names: Wheat amino acids, Wheat bran, Wheat germm, Wheat germ extract, Barley extract, malt extract, Hydrolyzed vegetable protein or vegetable protein, Hydrolyzed wheat protein or wheat protein, Oat kernel flour^✤

Cosmetics manufacurers can label their proucts as "gluten-free" if they consider they are GF. This will help identify these products.

Note about oats^✤ Oats are considered as gluten-free in the U.S., though other countries list them as containing gluten. In general, oats are well tolerated by many patients with CD, but, there are patients who have an intestinal T cell response to oats. Cross contamination of oats with gluten-containing cereals is also an issue, as they are often grown together, transported, and stored in silos that contain other grains.

Gluten Related Skin Disorders

Gluten related disorders (GRD) include not only celiac disease (CD) but also wheat allergy (WA) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). Although their main symptoms are gatro intestinal, they also have an impact on other parts of the body, including the skin. For insance, there is a link between CD and dermatitis herpetiformis.
These skin manifestations of GRD improve when the patient adopt a gluten-free diet.

Patients with CD have a higher risk of many common skin disorders in comparison to the general population. These disorders include psoriasis and rosacea. (2), (11)

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a skin disease that causes ithcy blisters in certain parts of the body such as the elbos, knees, and buttocks.

It is also one of the ways that Celiac disease (CD) becomes evident. These skin lesions will heal with a Gluten Free Diet.

For every person with DH, there are eight ones with CD, and surprisingly the incidence of CD is increasing while the incidence of DH falls. (14)

Summing it up

There is no definite scientific evidence showing that gluten in cosmetics or skin ⁄ hair care products can harm your health if you suffer from a Gluten Related Disease (GRD).

Toddlers who may suck their hands or drink bathwater should use gluten-free soaps, lotions, sunscreen and shampoo. Oral ingestion of gluten can harm those sensitive to it.

People with wheat allergies who have skin sensitivity should completely avoid skincare products that contain wheat or wheat gluten. (12)

People who do not have any GRD should continue using their regular cosmetics. Gluten should be a minor concer an its presence in the formulations will not affect you in any way. There are other components found in your cosmetics, either as ingredients or contaminants that are of more concern. For instance take nanoplastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs).

Research has shown that personal care and cosmetics products can contain levels of MPs and NPs up to 50,391 particles per gram and the scientific evidence indicates that these plastics may provoke alterations in the skin, and inflammation. Their minute sized allows them to breach the skin barrier and enter the bloodstream. (15)