US researchers warn on mislabelling of moisturisers

A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine in the US has revealed that certain moisturisers are mislabelled as 'fragrance-free' or 'hypoallergenic'.

This could be of concern for people with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, who need non-irritating and safe skin products.

In the study, the ingredients and performance of 100 whole-body moisturisers at Amazon, Target, and Wal-Mart were analysed.

Results revealed that 83% of products labelled hypoallergenic comprised a potentially allergenic chemical, while around 45% of products with the fragrance-free tag included a fragrance cross reactor or botanical ingredient.

The study also found that products with the dermatologist-recommended label were $0.20 more per ounce compared to those that did not include the label.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine dermatology physician Steve Xu said: “As it stands now, patients have a challenging time making an informed decision by glancing at the back of the bottle.

“Our study highlights that and aims to make that search easier on consumers by informing dermatologists.”

Products such as white petroleum jelly, Vanicream’s hypoallergenic products, Aveeno Eczema Therapy moisturising cream, and certain cold-pressed coconut oils were found to be free of typical skin allergens.

Upon analysis for presence of ingredients listed in the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG), only 12% of the moisturisers were free of allergens such as added fragrances, parabens, or tocopherol.

Ivory raw unrefined shea butter, Vaseline original petroleum jelly, and Smellgood African shea butter were observed to be the top three most affordable and NACDG-ingredients-free moisturisers.

The study showed that 59% of people preferred their moisturiser as a lotion, followed by creams, oils, butters. The least preferred were ointments.

Xu further added: “We need to programme into our minds to think differently and strike that fine balance between safe ingredients and user preference.”

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Image: Various bottles of lotions. Photo: courtesy of Northwestern University..