What Causes Allergic Reactions in Eye Care From Artificial Ingredients?

If you are prone to allergic reactions, eye care ingredients could be something to worry about. Artificial preservatives and fragrance ingredients are commonly to blame. Let's identify some causes and then learn How Natural Vitamin E Prevents Allergic Reactions in Eyes.

Allergies Triggered By Cosmetics

Symptoms of allergies triggered by cosmetics may include redness or rashes on the skin, also known as dermatitis. Itching or watery eyes, stinging or burning of the eyes or skin can occur. The area may feel painful. The inflammatory response causes increased sensitivity to pain in general.

Allergy Symptoms

Conjunctivitis, eczema or hives can be symptoms of an allergy, as well. Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, the mucus membranes covering the white part of your eyes and the inside of your eyelids. Redness and swelling are visible symptoms. Extreme itching and pain are the symptoms you would feel.

Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition accompanied by flaking, itching and excessive dryness. Hives are red itchy welts. Inflammation is the underlying cause of all of the symptoms of allergic reactions; eye care ingredients cause inflammation by stimulating the skin's cells to produce prostaglandins.

Prostaglandins and the inflammation caused by those molecules are responsible for the "symptoms" of allergies triggered by cosmetics. But we often think of the compounds present in the product as the cause.

Limited Sensitivity Cause

Not everyone has allergies triggered by cosmetics. People that do may be sensitive only to a single ingredient, which can easily be avoided. On the other hand, some people are sensitive to a host of compounds.

As mentioned above, fragrances and artificial preservatives are most often to blame. Many people have a condition called perfume allergy. They must avoid perfumes of all kinds. Everyone can be negatively affected by perfumes, particularly if the product containing them is intended to be used around the eyes.

Fragrances - Big Cause

Balsam fragrance is one of the top ten (number three) triggers. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are eight compounds that are frequently mixed together and listed on the label simply as "fragrance". This fragrance mix is number six on the Clinic's list of top ten skin allergens.

Look for These Ingredients to Avoid

If you want to avoid allergic reactions, eye care ingredients to avoid include thimerosal, urea, methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl parabens. Those are the artificial preservatives favored by cosmetic companies.

Allergies triggered by cosmetics may also be due to the emulsifiers DEA and TEA. Isopropyl alcohol can cause redness and burning. It is a strong eye irritant. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) can cause hives, eczema and other allergy-related symptoms.

If you want to avoid allergic reactions, eye care ingredients stearalkonium chloride, synthetic colors, MIT and formaldehyde should also be avoided. All of the compounds mentioned in this article have been used by the cosmetic industry for many years. It is very difficult to get an ingredient banned, even when it is known to cause health problems.

It is essential that skincare products contain an effective preservative. Otherwise, the product would quickly turn rancid. If used on the skin or around the eyes, rancid oils can cause serious infections.

There are natural non-allergenic alternatives to the artificial preservatives responsible for allergies triggered by cosmetics. Now that you know more about what causes allergic reactions, eye care ingredients to avoid and the damage they can do, you probably want to know which compounds are non-allergenic. You'll learn about that and what ingredient is a naturally safe preservative in my next article.

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