Peanut oil in Clarins products poses risk

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Clarins comes under fire over peanut ingredient

By Simon Pitman
01/11/2006 - Leading skin care and beauty company Clarins has come in for criticism from a US-based toxicology organisation over allegations that ingredients used in its products may cause users serious allergic reactions.

According to the National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF), consumers should not need a degree in chemistry to be able to determine the labelling on cosmetics products, but because of current regulations, it often seems that way.
The scientific chemical names of most cosmetic ingredient mean nothing to most people, claims Dr. John Sheppard, director of the UK arm of the NTEF. And he says that even fewer people are aware that peanut-based extracts and oils often appear in cosmetic and toiletry products.

Peanuts are a leading cause of potentially serious anaphylaxis reactions, with current statistics indicating that around one child in every 125 is said to have a distinct allergic reaction to a range of products that include peanuts.

Most people are aware that a variety of processed foods include peanuts or peanut-based ingredients, but far fewer are aware that cosmetic products also contain such ingredients. Hydrogenated peanut oil is, according to the NTEF, a key ingredient in sunscreen products, and specifically features in Clarins' Protection Sun Control Stick.

Some research has indicated that peanut oil contained in cosmetic applications such as sunscreen may cause allergic reactions in some children, which is currently causing further research into the area.

But while there is any doubt in this area Sheppard comes down hard on Clarins, pointing to the company as being one of the biggest culprits in what he terms