A recent article in the Wall Street Journal points out the potential pitfalls of buying personal care products labeled ‘natural’. In trying to avoid harmful chemicals, consumers sometimes learn the hard way that plant-based oils or other forms of plant ingredients can trigger an allergic reaction. Dermatologists say they’re seeing an uptick in cases of contact dermatitis and other skin reactions caused by botanical ingredients.

Manufacturers are not required to list ingredients used in fragrances, which can also contain allergens or not-so-healthy chemicals—so even avoiding a known allergen or irritant poses a challenge.

Further, products labeled ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ are terms that are unregulated and can literally mean anything—and these products may contain as many irritating chemicals and fillers as their unlabeled rivals.

Here at Silk Therapeutics, we operate on 3 principles that help protect you from an allergic reaction:

1. Avoidance – One of the many reasons we use silk protein is because an allergic reaction to the silk used in our products is as near to a biological impossibility as we can imagine. Pure natural silk protein is known to not contain any antigen-binding domains, which are necessary to generate an antibody mediated reaction as part of the immune response we recognize as an allergic reaction—swelling, itching, redness and pain.
2. Minimal Ingredients – If it doesn’t have a benefit, we don’t use it. And, in our unscented formulas, we go through great effort to choose ingredients, like rosehip oil, that are known to have an extremely low allergic potential according to European Cosmetic Regulation. Our skincare line is designed to support all skin types- including those with the most sensitive skin.
3. Ingredient Transparency – We publish ALL our ingredients. Why should our customers suffer from an avoidable reaction to a known allergen?

To see the ingredients in any of our products, go to www.silktherapeutics.com, click the ‘More Info’ button for any product, and click the ‘Ingredients’ tab.

Finally, before you buy, make sure your personal care products provide full transparency about ingredients, and remember: minimal is the new natural!

Mathews, A. W. (2016, April 16). Surprise Allergies to ‘Natural’ Skin-Care Products. The Wall Street Journal