Gluten, Gluten Everywhere
- By Andrea Langston, MS, CNS, CDN
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- 21 May, 2018
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Checking Personal Care Products
Did you know that many personal care products, including lotions, shampoos, conditioners, makeup, toothpaste and lip balm can contain gluten?
Experts agree that gluten on the skin does not get absorbed in a way that can harm the digestive system of someone with celiac disease, even in the case of dermatitis herpetiformis (a skin manifestation of celiac disease). However, certain products should be purchased gluten free.
Any product that goes in your mouth or on your lips is likely to be ingested and could therefore cause symptoms and damage just like gluten in food. It is important to make sure these items are gluten free.
For most people, this includes lip balm, lipstick, toothpaste, and mouthwash at a minimum.
I am also careful with any personal care products that I may inadvertently ingest, including lotion, hand sanitizer and most makeup. Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are other items to consider purchasing gluten free. This is especially important to think about as the parent of a child with celiac disease, as kids are quite likely to accidentally get these products in their mouths. Your level of strictness in purchasing your personal products is up to you, but if you are at all concerned about the possibility of getting certain products getting into your mouth, I would purchase them gluten free. Many people figure, why risk the possibility if they can find products that they like?
Check your personal products, some may be labeled gluten free. If they aren’t, you may need to do a little digging to find out if they contain gluten or not. You can check online or call the company directly.
To give you a head start, here are some recently updated articles with information about gluten free products:
