One of the questions I am often asked – “Is your goat milk soap hypoallergenic?”

I admit, I’m always a little bit stumped as to how to answer that question.  Why am I stumped? Because the term “hypoallergenic” is pretty meaningless.  It is a “made-up” word used by marketers to make their product sound safer than other products.

I did a google search on the term “hypoallergenic lotion”.  The first response was a product labeled “(name brand) Repairing Moisture Hypoallergenic Lotion”.  When I looked up the ingredients, I found this:

Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Glycol Stearate, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isostearate, Dihydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Tapioca Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Stearamide AMP, Carbomer, Isopropyl Myristate, Cedrol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Wow.  Simply Wow.

Those ingredients are considered hypoallergenic? Really?

My originial formula unscented lotion has this for ingredients:

Soybean oil; Beeswax; Sunflower oil; Cocoa butter; Shea butter; Vitamin E.

And our mango butter formula unscented lotion has this for ingredients:

Sweet almond oil; Coconut oil; Beeswax; Avocado oil; Cocoa Butter; Mango Butter.

Now, I know that somebody is allergic to those ingredients, so I would never refer to them as “hypoallergenic”.  After all, since starting Goat Milk Stuff I have come across people who are allergic to everything from goat milk to olive oil.

But I would much rather use those ingredients than the ones in the name brand “hypoallergenic” lotion.

According to WebMd,

If a cosmetic is labeled “hypoallergenic,” it usually means the makers of the product claim that it causes fewer allergic reactions than other products. That doesn’t mean that it is allergy-proof or gentler for your skin. There aren’t any standards for manufacturers on the use of “hypoallergenic” to describe their products. They don’t have to test that specific product to prove it won’t cause a reaction. It’s impossible to guarantee that a cosmetic or skin care product will never cause an allergic reaction.

So don’t be fooled by the misleading term “hypoallergenic”.  Instead, educate yourself, look at the ingredients, and use products from a company that you trust.  And if you have allergic tendencies, always test a new product on a small patch of skin first.