For people with sensitive skin, finding a moisturizer that doesnโt cause itching or irritation can be a real challenge. (That goes double for those with conditions like dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis.) A good place to start is withย products advertised as fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, or dermatologist-recommended.
But unfortunately, a new study in JAMA Dermatology shows that these claims often donโt hold much water.
When researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine evaluated the ingredients in the 100 best-selling whole-body moisturizing products sold at Target, Walmart and Amazon, they found that products with these labels often came at a higher price tag. They did not, necessarily, come without chemicals known to be irritants or potential allergens.
These inaccurate claims and higher prices make it difficult for people with sensitive skin or skin disorders to find affordable and safe moisturizers, say the study authors. These consumersย may need to get specific recommendations from their own dermatologists, the study authorsย also say, or pay more attention to the actual ingredients in a productโand not just the advertising claims.
They study found that 45% of the products boasting a fragrance-free claim did actually have at least one chemical classified as a fragrance cross-reactor or botanical ingredient by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG). Even more disturbing, 83% of products labeled as hypoallergenic included a potentially allergenic chemical.
In addition, 95% of products touted as dermatologist-recommendedโa phrase thatโs not regulated and doesnโt need to be backed up with much evidenceโcontained at least one NACDG-listed allergen. Products that were dermatologist-recommended were also were 20 cents more expensive per ounce, on average.
โWe looked into what it means to be โdermatologist-recommended,โ and it doesnโt mean much,โ says lead author Steve Xu, MD, instructor in dermatology at Northwestern, โbecause it could be three dermatologists recommending it or oneย thousand.โ
Overall, only 12% of the best-selling moisturizers were free of NACDG allergens, andย “the difference in price between the least and most expensive moisturizers was 9400%,” says Dr. Xu.