Is anyone else allergic to lipsticks or lip products?
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free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:50 pm

I just wonder if I'm the only one that is allergic to most lip products, lipsticks, lip balm. I discovered that fact when I was 13. I put on Clinique lip gloss before I went to bed to moisturize it. Prior to that my mom would put some beeswax on my lips for me every night. Well I was 13, so I was too grown up for beeswax. The next morning I woke up with hugely swollen lips. They subsided after a few days but became super dry and blistered. After that, whichever lipsticks I tried would give me this reaction. So I stopped using lipsticks, but 3 years ago, a friend told me to try the Body Shop lipsticks. I was able to tolerate this one. I have to put it on top of my Vaseline lip balm though. So I can only use these two things on my lips, and I prefer not to overdo the lipstick, not trusting my lips would put up with it long term. I am about to try a sample of Best Bath Store lip balm (Thank you, Justin!) since it's all natural. I'm hoping it will work for me.

So is anyone else having this problem like me? I hate not being able to try different lipsticks. I must say the Body Shop one sucks in terms of not lasting.

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:39 pm

Cherisse, my lip allergies were so bad that I actually had to go get tested so I could pinpoint my allergy. It was a really lengthy process, but while I was doing it I learned about a lot of potential irritants that they test for, so if you'd like to write down the ingredients for the lipstick you CAN wear, and then write down the ingredients for a few things that have given you a reaction, I might be able to point you in a the direction of what might be causing your problem. (It could very well be beeswax, that's one of the first things they look for.) I know how much it sucks--- don't worry, we'll find lip products you can use!^-^

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:48 pm

Yes! Most lipsticks/lip glosses give me a reaction. Manslayerliz, what are the ingredients you are allergic to? And what lipstick/glosses can you use?

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 8:02 pm

Well, it turned out that I'm allergic to a preservative called dodecylgallate. However, the weird thing is that I've never used any products that contain this ingredient. I told my derm as much, and she explained that dodecylgallate is often used as a preservative in castor oil BEFORE it's sold to cosmetics companies, so the cosmetics companies don't put it on their labels because they don't know it's there. So, it's not in ALL castor oils, but since I don't know which I try to pretty much avoid all products containing castor oil, just to be on the safe side.

Beeswax is another big trigger for a lot of people who have problems with lip products--- apparently some people are allergic to propolis, which is in most bee-related ingredients like Beeswax. And of course, chemical sunscreens like Avobenzone are a big trigger. Also, some people are also allergic to various preservatives.

I use a lot of products containing Beeswax so if that's your trigger I won't be much help, but you might want to start with very simple balms with very few ingredients, such as the one from Best Bath Store or the Camellia Balm from chidoriyaworld.com. I would also recommend trying the glosses sold at puritycosmetics.com. I haven't tried them yet, but they're on my try-me list, and they contain no beeswax, no chemical sunscreen, and no preservatives, so they could be a good match for sensitive girls like us!^-^ Of course, if you know of any products you can wear, or products which have given you a reaction, let me know, since it helps to have ingredient lists to work with.

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 8:22 pm

Oops, I just took a look at the purity glosses, and they do contain beeswax. So, if beeswax isn't the culprit we should be ok, otherwise we'll keep looking...

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:17 pm

The trend these days seem to be for lipsticks to have spf and that's a real no-no for me. I can only wear a few brands of lipsticks - Nars is one - but unfortunately too often I get led astray by the pretty colors and packaging and convince myself that I've outgrown my allergy.

Other than sunscreen I'm not sure what else causes the swelling and itching, but since it first started when I was a teenager and over-zealously applied Chapstick, I'm probably allergic to a quite common ingredient. I'll have to look out for the dodecylgallate/castor oil that Manslayerliz mentioned.

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:09 pm

Oh my gosh, you all made me happy that I am not the only one suffering from this tragedy. No one else in my family has this problem and my sisters think I'm weird. I used to be allergic to seafood, too, but I overcame that. That was another weird story for another time. Smile

Liz, you're so generous and helpful. I had wanted to be tested for what I was allergic to, but somehow the doctors I discussed my problems with just did not seem to want to test me. It was annoying.

I found the ingredients for the Body Shop lipstick on their web site: http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/bin/venda?ex=co_wizr-productgrid&bsref=thebodyshopuk&step=shopcartmulti&invt=6893m&ordercol=alphanu&layout=norightnav&bklist=icat,4,shop,mu,mulips
Well, the key ingredient is beeswax. I don't know if I'm allergic to that or not, but I know my mom used to put beeswax on my lips for moisturizing at night time when I was a kid.

Since the Body Shop lipstick is the only lipstick I can wear, I thought it'd be easy to compare it to any other ones like Clinique, Estee Lauder, Lancome, etc. But I could not find a list of their ingredients in the lipsticks though.

Also I thought because I was not allergic to the Body Shop lipsticks, I could use their lip balm, too, but I was wrong. Their lip balm dried my lips out, and there was a start of a swelling, so I washed it off right away. My lips react fast, so I only have to wait an hour or two before I could tell something would be up. So maybe we could just compare their lipstick to lip balm. Here's a link to the lip balm ingredients: http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/browse/product_detail.jsp;jsessionid=1FEMCRWLBLQ5RULSIIWVAFOROJBC2UP4?productId=prod5110015&categoryId=cat30022

Thank you so much, Liz! You really are so sweet. Smile

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:19 pm

Thanks for the links, Cherisse! I'll give them a once over and let you know if I see anything interesting. I know just how you feel--- lots of people don't understand how frustrating lip allergies are!! (My sisters totally think I'm making it up, LOL!)

Can I ask you a quick question? Do you take any supplements? This is going to sound kind of nuts, but I've read that if you take a supplement really high in B-12 (like, 400% or more), it can either trigger or exacerbate lip allergies. When I found that out I stopped taking so much of it (now I just take a supplement that contains just 100%), and it helped my lips sooooo much.

free skin care · Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:32 pm

ahhhh I take so many supplements, but B-12 is not one of them. I take
* pycnogenol (my sis swears by this one for making her look 10 years younger and her skin is nice and clear)
* alpha lipoic acid (just started this because my sister wanted to try it, so I tried it, too)
* N-Acytyl Cysteine - I read on Vitacost that this got anti-viral properties, and I thought maybe it would help me fight off the cold and flu.
* Calcium
* Fish oil
* Vit C
* Vit E

This is all I remember for now, but I know for sure I am not taking any B vitamins. I found I got a bottle of MSM hiding in my cabinet, and it's not expired yet, so I am starting to take this one again.

Thanks, Liz!
Cherisse

free skin care · Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:57 am

Hi again Cherisse! OK, I took a look at the lists, and the interesting thing was that the basic ingredients were all pretty much the same, which makes me wonder if your lips might be sensitive to extras like perfumes, colors, flavors, etc. Please update us when you try the Best Bath Store balm--- it doesn't have very many ingredients at all, so it's a good place to start for trying stuff. And hang in there--- I know what you're going through!

free skin care · Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:33 am

Hi Liz,
THANK YOU! You might have just hit the nail on the head. I can use the regular Vaseline lip balm, but NOT the cherry flavored Vaseline lip balm which my boyfriend uses. I cannot use the Chapstick brand lip balm as it is too dry and dries out my lips and will start an allergic reaction. I need something that moisturizes the lips well. Justin was really so kind, and he said he would include a sample for me to try. I can't wait to try it.
I will definitely report back. I am excited about trying the Best Bath Store Eye Treatment Cream, too. I am still looking for one I can fall in love with.
Thank you for your support.
Cherisse

free skin care · Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:02 pm

Hi Cherisse, just wanted to let you know that my lips are exactly the same. I can not wear anything on them...

free skin care · Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:49 pm

Smoothskin, can you use the Vaseline lip balm? How do you keep your lips moisturized in the winter?

free skin care · Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:57 pm

Smoothskin and Cherisse [sp?], have you ever tried lip polishes from this site? http://www.fyrinnae.com/index.php?cPath=24_30

Vegan formulas, no beeswax. The colors are gorgeous and texture is just yummy!! Ingredients below.

Contains: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Mica, Vitamin E. May contain: Iron Oxides, FD&C Colors, Titanium Dioxide

I'm a lipstick/lipgloss junkie, that's the one thing I WON'T do without!
Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jan 10, 2007 5:39 pm

athena, I never tried it. Is it an online store only? If they have a physical store, I can go and put on a sample, and hope that my lips won't react! Are you allergic as well?

free skin care · Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:36 am

Cherisse wrote:

athena, I never tried it. Is it an online store only? If they have a physical store, I can go and put on a sample, and hope that my lips won't react! Are you allergic as well?

Cherisse, unfortunately it's an online store only. My lips aren't allergic, but I do think they're addicted. I always have to have something on them, be it lipstick, lip balm, lipgloss or whatever. When I don't have ANYTHING on my lips, they get dry and cracked.

free skin care · Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:49 pm

Athena, that's normal though for lips to dry out and crack if you don't moisturize them. I read that lips are the easiest part to dry out.

Wed Jul 08, 2015 1:20 pm

Hey, I am allergic to lipstick and lip gloss. I found out on the day of my 15th birthday party and Ive used lipstick and lip gloss before but it never affected me. So my lips get a little swollen and looked as if they were extremely dry but their not. I dont know what to do now, I thought it was just mac lipstick but it turns out its almost every kind and the one that was used on me we brand new the only thing I can wear is chapstick. What do you guys recommend I do?

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