Should you consider gluten-free cosmetics?

Whenever Afton Jones wears eye makeup, her eyes become swollen, heavy, and watery. Soon after she discovered her mascara had gluten in it. Since then the 20-something Celiac sufferer from Texas has been on the lookout for gluten-free cosmetics and providing product reviews on her glutenfreemakeupgal.com site. Like Afton, many of those suffering from Celiac disease are discovering that the gluten-free lifestyle goes beyond making dietary changes and into their daily beauty regimen. An ever sneaky fellow, gluten has been known to lurk in your makeup and toiletries as it is used as a binder to help ingredients stick together and to add moisture using gluten-derived oils. As a result, lipstick, lip-gloss, mouthwash, and toothpaste all have been known to trigger a reaction. Others develop skin reactions to lotion, sunscreen, or shampoo due to gluten-sensitivity or allergies to wheat or other grains. As for the gluten sensitive folks… little is known about exactly how much gluten popular cosmetics contain and how much it takes to cause harmful side effects. So … you may still want to go gluten-free with your cosmetics and toiletries. The reason is that even if you go symptom-free with your make-up, you can still be doing damage to your inside. That is the word from Alice Bast, Founder and President of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) in the US News article, “Are Gluten-Free Cosmetics Necessary?”. So does that mean you should opt for gluten-free cosmetics? There does not seem to be a one-size fits all answer, with the decision being a very personal one. But if you do choose to use gluten-free cosmetics, go to Gluten-Free Make-Up Girl to download your free copy of her 2014 Gluten-Free Make-Up list. While there, you may also wish to check out her make-up reviews.