Gearing up to carry a gluten-free skin care line? Gluten-free is a food trend that has spilled into the realm of skin care. All things gluten-free seem to be selling fast, including rice and beans, which have always been gluten-free. Somehow, saying it on the package makes even the most mundane products fly off the shelves.

But, how many clients really need gluten-free in their skin care regimens? Well, according to the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Michael Picco, it is not the people you would think. People who genuinely have celiac disease do not benefit much from gluten-free skin care because the gluten has to be ingested to have harmful effects. Even those with dermatitis herpetiformis, which causes an itchy, blistering rash on the skin associated with gluten intolerance, get better when taking gluten out of their diet, not their skin care.

It is possible that gluten molecules much like collagen are just too big to get beyond the surface of the skin.

The clients who do benefit from gluten-free skin care products may have allergy to wheat or another grain, says Dr. Picco, and that could result in a skin reaction that is not related to celiac disease.

Clients with a genuine allergy to wheat or other grains would want to also avoid products made with vitamin E, as it is often derived from wheat germ.

While there may be a demand for gluten-free skin care products, the most important of those products would be for the lips, as we tend to ingest some of those products over the course of normal wear.

References

“Celiac Disease: Can Gluten Be Absorbed through the Skin?” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, January 18, 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/expert-answers/celiac-disease/faq-20057879.