Gluten?

We often receive e-mails asking if our products are gluten free? What is gluten and why is this a concern for many consumers? Gluten is a complex of insoluble proteins, primarily gliadin and glutenin, that forms when wheat (also rye and barley) flour is mixed with a liquid. Gliadin provides elasticity and glutenin gives it strength (think bread making!). So why the inquiries? The dilemma is due to the fact that approximately 1% of the world’s population has Celiac disease (also known as: coeliac disease, celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, gluten enteropathy), an autoimmune disorder in which eating gluten (proteins in wheat, barley, and rye) causes the body’s immune system to damage the small intestine. When people with celiac disease eat food that contains gluten, the lining of the small intestine becomes inflamed leading to the symptoms of the disease. The operative word here is, EAT! Unless a product is used on the lips or in the mouth, such as a lip conditioner, gloss, lipstick, tooth paste or mouthwash there is no need for concern. However, as you might expect, with the numerous blogs, internet sites and all of the self-proclaimed experts on the subject, one can find information to the contrary warning Celiac afflicted individuals to avoid all gluten in any shape or form, food or cosmetic. They claim any skin care product with gluten will penetrate through the skin barrier and trigger the disease. However, according to the Celiac Society, “Gluten molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin. If you’re having a reaction to a personal care product (for example, a moisturizer or a sunscreen lotion) that contains gluten, you may be allergic to one or more of the other ingredients.”

The US FDA and WHO Codex Alimentarius have set preliminary thresholds of less than 20 ppm of gluten for a gluten-free claim. (This is more due to “analytical limitations” than anything else.) Many skincare companies use wheat derived ingredients in many of our products: Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Triticum vulgare (Wheat Germ) Oil or Extract, and Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids are the primary sources. And since raw materials are not standardized with each batch (meaning they adjust each batch to contain a constant amount of gluten) the gluten content could fluctuate. As always, the choice is between you and your doctor.