Methylisothiazolinone sensitivity

[Aniseteph]

I think I just found what's given me itchy sore peeling patches round my eyes for months on end. I thought I was developing a cat allergy at one point, I changed my skincare, stopped using make up, but nothing seemed to help but steroid cream.

But I think its this methylisothiazolinone (MI). Apparently it is in loads of stuff - which probably explains why changing products didn't help - as a preservative and lately they started using more because another preservative got phased out. So now it is causing problems with allergies and sensitivity to the extent that some manufacturers are phasing it out.

It's in laundry products too, so that could explain the occasional itchy rashes being the knees. And it might be why some shampoos give me dandruff, although my current one has it and is OK... I rinse like crazy though, and maybe some have more in than others.

Anyhoo, thought I'd share in case it helps any of you out there too. I don't have a full on allergy (though I know someone who does, not fun) but the long term sensitivity has been a royal PITA. Hopefully I can avoid it now, yay!:dance:

 

[Farasha Hanem]

I'm so glad you finally found the culprit! Do you have a smart phone or tablet? There's an app called GoodGuide that can help you when shopping for household cleaners, cosmetics and beauty products, and food. It has a bar code scanner that you use to scan the UPC of a product, and it pulls up the entire list of ingredients. There is a legend at the bottom (L, M, H, and ?) that will indicate if the ingredients are a potential hazard to your health. If an ingredient has one of the above, you click on to that ingredient, and it will tell you what sort of potential health threats it can cause.

The app also rates the ethics of the product company: whether they take an active concern for the community, and how environmentally concerned they are.

You might want to consider phasing out some or all of your commercially-made cleaners and beauty products and making your own organic products, or find a local or online organic store. It's worth a try!

 

[Darshiva]

I'd like to add to what Farasha has said by saying never trust organic to mean free of the chemical you're allergic to. I'm sulphite-intolerant and I've found that even products that outright state that they are sulphite-free on the label contain sulphites as their second or third ingredient! (the higher on the list, the bigger the quantity by australian labelling standards)

 

[Farasha Hanem]

Same here in America. That's right, never trust the pretty package on the front. It pays to do your research.

 

[Aniseteph]

I'll check out GoodGuide, thanks. I found an online shop that listed the ingredients of what I'm using (with no problems) at the moment, and its all good, if on the decadently expensive side. But at least it gets used.

(OK now I'm confused by good guide. I checked out my current night moisturiser and it has full ingredients listed, including a couple of OMG Evil things. So out of interest I check out one of the top rated supposedly glowingly virtuous environmentally friendly alternatives. Three ingredients listed and a disclaimer saying that's all that is listed on the packet.... Another just has "vitamin C"! . If that is what they are basing the "scientific rating" on, I call BS. The only scientific way to deal with manufacturers who don't disclose their ingredients is to mark them down or not rate them. Scientific my behind. Furthermore, ranty scientist in the house can you tell?, concentration makes as huge difference, and not even the full disclosure listings tell you if you are slapping masses of Evil Substance on your face, or just a smidgeon that is stopping worse things happening to the mixture.<waves banner for Science>rotest:

How on earth can something claim to be x-free and have x in? That's ridiculous.

 

[Darshiva]

Well in the cosmetic industry 'sulphites' relate ONLY to sodium laurel sulphate. Products with sodium laureth sulphate get a free pass. Of course, for me there is no difference. Cue hives, asthma & bloating (if I'm lucky). But you know, it's definitely sulphite free!

 

[Safran]

Haha, around here the cosmetics labels usually only list "Key ingredients", so it is a lot of guessing what they are really made of...

 

[Aniseteph]

I don't know what the legalities are here but a lot of cosmetics list the contents. I'm certainly not going to be buying anything that stays on my face unless I can check the ingredients now.

Well in the cosmetic industry 'sulphites' relate ONLY to sodium laurel sulphate. Products with sodium laureth sulphate get a free pass. Of course, for me there is no difference. Cue hives, asthma & bloating (if I'm lucky). But you know, it's definitely sulphite free!

Oh poor you, that sounds horrible. I suppose the misleading claims must be for the benefit of the worried well who aren't really affected but like the idea of avoiding stuff. Clearly they do not give a hoot about those with sensitivities and allergies. :naghty:

 

[Darshiva]

Pretty much. Which is:

1) Why I hate going to the hairdresser
2) Why I use a specific brand of baby shampoo
3) Why I always test out cosmetics well in advance of an event. (speaking of which, today is cosmetic test day)

 

[Aniseteph]

Good luck with the test!