Last week, I started hearing a lot of buzz about gluten-free this and gluten-free that. So I just wanted to write a post about what is “gluten-free”. From a marketing standpoint, gluten-free is used to target a specific segment (those with celiac disease). Without going into a lot of details, celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and maybe oats, etc. There are a lot of substitutes and gluten-free grains out there (see here for a list).
That being said, were you also under the assumption that gluten-free products only make sense if these products are INGESTED? As in: they have to be consumed through your digestive tract in order for it to be an issue! Why, then, do I see so many cosmetics and personal care products being branded as “gluten-free”? Does that really matter? Unless I’m eating my makeup and lotions (okay, so maybe some lipsticks/lipbalms make their way to your stomach…the amount should be insignificant anyway), how is normal absorption through the skin suppose to give you celiac disease symptoms? Are people just too cautious? Maybe I’m just not getting it because I’m not a sufferer. But I’m here to help, so here are three skin products that are gluten-free:
- AminoGenesis Simply One 10 in 1 Skin Perfecting Treatment (although I’m not sure if their Vitamin E and Glucosamine come from plants/algae source, at least they’re GF!)
- KaplanMD Clinical Skin Therapy
- Pangea Organics Egyptian Calendula & Blood Orange Facial Cleanser
Read more on Positive Beauty Blog
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