Are You Allergic to Your Skincare Products? (2024)

An allergic reaction to face cream or another skincare product may cause an itchy red rash and other symptoms like peeling or swelling. When skincare products cause more subtle symptoms like dryness, pimple-like bumps, and uneven skin tone, it may be due to irritation rather than an allergy.

Allergic reactions and skin irritation may occur due to certain product ingredients such as fragrances, preservatives, and dyes. Red, itchy skin irritation is called dermatitis.

This article covers skincare product ingredients that commonly cause irritation or allergic reactions, symptoms to watch for, and how to respond to severe reactions.

Allergic Contact Dermatitis

Someone who has a reaction to a skincare product may say they are allergic to it. That may be true in some cases, but not all.

Allergic contact dermatitis is a true allergy—in other words, your immune system reacts to a product ingredient as if it is actually harmful to your body and releases proteins to help fight it.

Symptoms

Allergic contact dermatitis is not as common as irritant contact dermatitis. If you are allergic to a product, you may have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Itchy skin
• Rash
• Flaking or peeling skin
• Facial swelling
• Irritation of the eyes, nose, and mouth

In severe cases, an allergy may lead to anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that requires emergency medical treatment.

Irritant Contact Dermatitis

Irritant contact dermatitis occurs because an ingredient irritates the skin. Symptoms are limited to the area the product was applied to, and the reaction does not involve the immune system.

Your face is the most common place to develop this mild, chronic type of contact dermatitis. It's especially likely to crop up on the eyelids, cheeks, around the corners of the nose and mouth, and the chin.

Symptoms

Irritant contact dermatitis can result in:

• Itchy skin
• A patch of reddened, raised bumps
• Small, fluid-filled blisters

It's also possible to have mild irritant contact dermatitis without an itchy rash. For example, you may have skin that is slightly dry no matter how often you moisturize. Or, you may have a patch of rough, sandpaper-like skin that may or may not feel hot to the touch.

Long-term use of any product that contains low levels of an irritant can gradually strip away your skin's outermost protective layer, the stratum corneum. Over time, this can leave your skin prone to dryness, redness, and irritation.

Ingredients That Cause Irritation or Allergies

There are thousands of ingredients used in skincare and cosmetic products. Although everyone's skin is different, certain ingredients are more likely to cause reactions than others. Even ingredients labeled "all-natural" can cause dermatitis in some people.

• Fragrances are a common culprit. Even though "fragrance" is listed as a single ingredient, the ingredient can contain hundreds of different chemical components, many of which can irritate the skin.
• Preservatives are often problematic as well. While they may be necessary to prevent a product from going bad, preservatives are known to cause contact dermatitis in some people.
• Color dyes and pigments, known as colorants, also pose a risk. People who are allergic to colorants in their food will likely be allergic to them in their cosmetics as well. Any colorant can cause contact dermatitis on sensitive skin, but reds and yellows tend to be the more common problems.
• Lanolin is a natural ingredient that is commonly linked to skin irritation and allergic reactions. Lanolin is derived from sheep's wool and is used in moisturizing products like body lotions and facial creams.
• Essential oils can also cause contact dermatitis. While they can provide skincare products with an appealing scent, they can be irritating in high concentrations. Just a few drops of tea tree oil, for example, can trigger an adverse reaction in some people. Others that are more likely to irritate sensitive skin are peppermint, ylang-ylang, clove, cinnamon, and cassia essential oils.

A single beauty product can contain hundreds of ingredients, and it only takes one to cause a problem. Common beauty products known to cause allergic reactions and irritant contact dermatitis in some people include:

• Body soaps and gels
• Moisturizing creams
• Hair dyes
• Artificial nails
• Cologne and perfume
• Nail polish
• Lipstick
• Sunscreen
• Shampoo
• Henna (used for temporary tattoos)
• Deodorant
• Cleansing wipes
  

If you start to notice unusual changes in your skin, make a list of all the beauty products you have used the past few days. It's possible to suddenly develop a reaction to a product you have been using for years, so don't just write down products that are new to you.

This information will be helpful for you and your healthcare provider as you try to find the cause of the reaction.

Timeline of Symptoms

Neither allergic reactions nor irritant contact dermatitis tend to appear the first time you use a product. You will likely start to have reactions after you have used a product one or more times.

Allergic reactions to face wash, creams, and other skincare products can be immediate, but they may not happen until some time after you used the product. Irritant contact dermatitis may also take between 24 to 48 hours to appear.

A reaction can last weeks even after you've stopped using the irritating products. How long it lasts depends on how severe it is and how you treat your skin after it occurs.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If you're having a mild reaction and you haven't started any new products, try removing one product from your regimen at a time to see if your skin improves. Eliminating a product that contains fragrance or colorants is a great place to start. It may take two to four weeks before you notice a difference.

See your healthcare provider if you can't manage your symptoms—even if your case is not severe.

You should also see a skin specialist (dermatologist) or allergy specialist (allergist) straightaway if you experience a severe or persistent reaction. They can perform a patch test to see if you are allergic to anything.

Patch tests involve exposure to 20 to 30 common allergens. They are added to patches and applied to the skin. After 48 hours, the patches are removed to check for reactions.

The skin is monitored for up to seven days to see if any reaction develops.

Treatment

Most cases of irritant contact dermatitis will go away on their own, provided you stop using the product that is bothering your skin. You may or may not need a topical medication to ease symptoms in the meantime.

Most allergic reactions will also abate on their own, though it will take longer and medication is typically necessary. Severe reactions require treatment to keep it from getting worse.

Treating Allergic Reactions

Treatment for allergic contact dermatitis depends on the severity of your reaction. If you are having a mild allergic reaction involving a small area of red, itchy skin, you can:

• Apply an over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone cream to the affected area to stop the itching
• Take an antihistamine such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine)
• Use a moisturizer to relieve dryness and itchiness
• Use a cold compress

For larger or more severely affected areas, your healthcare provider may recommend:

• A prescription topical corticosteroid
• A 7-to-14-day course of an oral corticosteroid, like prednisone

Although your skin symptoms may clear up after just a few days, it's important to finish the full course prescribed to ensure the reaction has resolved.

If you have severe, chronic allergic dermatitis, your healthcare provider may recommend immunotherapy, a type of treatment that involves exposing you to small but gradually increasing amounts of an allergen to help your body develop a tolerance to it.

If you have a severe allergic reaction, you will need hospitalization. Some of the treatments they may give you in the hospital include:

• Epinephrine
• IV antihistamines
• Oxygen
• A bronchodilator like albuterol

Treating Irritant Contact Dermatitis

While you wait for the reaction to pass, treat the affected area gently. Avoid scrubbing and using perfumed products to prevent irritating skin further. For symptom relief, try:

• Topical remedies: If the area is dry and cracked, you can apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly or plain white cream moisturizers (e.g. Cerave, Vanicream).
• Cool washcloth or bath: Applying a cool, wet washcloth to the area for 15 to 30 minutes several times a day can also help. You might also try taking a cool bath. Sprinkle baking soda or colloidal oatmeal into the water to give it extra soothing qualities.
• Avoid scratching: Although it's tough if your skin is itchy, try not to scratch the area. Give it an opportunity to heal. Your doctor can prescribe a corticosteroid cream or ointment to control the itch and help the skin heal, if needed.

If your symptoms persist despite conservative treatment, you may also want to look at some of the other products you're using. For example, consider at least temporarily changing to a milder shampoo and conditioner. Pause on using all products with possibly irritating ingredients (e.g., acne creams or anti-aging serums).

Prevention

If you are sensitive to some products but not others, you may be able to avoid future skin reactions by doing a patch test on a small area of skin before you start using any new skincare product. If you don't react to the product on the tested patch of skin, it should be safe to use it.

You may also want to avoid products that contain fragrances or choose only products labeled as hypoallergenic.

Summary

If a skincare product causes itchy, red, and dry skin, it could be an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients. However, if the symptoms are mild, it might be due to irritation rather than allergy.

Skincare and other beauty products often contain hundreds of ingredients, many of which can slowly strip away your skin's protective and moisturizing barriers. This causes irritant contact dermatitis. Symptoms may occur right away or take years of product use to develop.

If you think you're having a reaction to a skincare product, stop using the product to see if it improves. If your symptoms continue, contact your healthcare provider.