Caution Celiacs - Avon Products (skin So Soft) Not Gluten Free

[toomuchagony]

Hi Folks!

Well gee eh, Spring has finally arrived, (at least here on south coast of BC Canada

In preparing for the warmer weather, and the inevitable thought of "mosquitos" biting me, I decided to begin "checking products with manufacturers" which I use to combat these vicious bloodsuckers! I normally through the years, just as many folks do I believe, have utilized a particular AVON product which has been proclaimed to effectively deter mosquitos called "Skin So Soft Bath Oil"... well am sure glad I asked now eh, because the product can NOT be assured to be "Gluten Free" due to use of "unknown sources for the alcohols used within it's ingredients list". I have "copied" the actual email below for those interested in Avon products.

Dear Avon Customer Care,

I have Celiac Disease and I would like to confirm with you

please whether or not 2 of your products contain Gluten, first product

is Skin So Soft, second is Avon Bubble Bath. Thank you in advance for

your kind assistance.

AVON Canada Response Below:

Good day,

Thank you for taking the time to write us, it is always a pleasure to

assist you.

While supplements and food products are fairly straightforward, other

Avon products present a challenge. The more obvious ingredients such as

wheat proteins found in some of our shampoos and lipsticks would rule

out their use by celiacs.

The alcohols used in our products (e.g., benzyl alcohol, cetearyl

alcohol, SD alcohol) can be derived from a grain source. Avon cannot

verify the source of the alcohols used in some of our products as our

vendors cannot provide us with this information.

Please note that ingredient lists are now available directly on the

www.avon.ca site. From the "Shop Online" section, simply click on the

chosen product to enlarge it, then click on "Ingredients" just below the

pictorial.

Bubble Bath is generally considered safe.

Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to

contact us.

Marie-Claude L'Ecuyer

Sp

[Moongirl]

While supplements and food products are fairly straightforward, other

Avon products present a challenge. The more obvious ingredients such as

wheat proteins found in some of our shampoos and lipsticks would rule

out their use by celiacs.

The alcohols used in our products (e.g., benzyl alcohol, cetearyl

alcohol, SD alcohol) can be derived from a grain source. Avon cannot

verify the source of the alcohols used in some of our products as our

vendors cannot provide us with this information.

But if its the alcohol ingredients they are not sure about, isnt alcohol usually distilled? which for celiacs would be ok?? im not sure here, im just posing the question....

[home-based-mom]

The alcohols used in our products (e.g., benzyl alcohol, cetearyl

alcohol, SD alcohol) can be derived from a grain source. Avon cannot

verify the source of the alcohols used in some of our products as our

vendors cannot provide us with this information.

Horsepucky.

Avon is a big enough company that they can demand the information and if the vendors choose not to provide it Avon can find a vendor who will. Somebody somewhere knows what is in the product. If neither Avon nor their vendors will provide the information, let them know that you will take your money and business to a company that is more interested in the quality of the products they provide to their customers.

For what it's worth, I thought I read a few years ago in Consumer Reports that Skin-So Soft was pretty much useless as a mosquito repellent anyway.

[mleeanne]

But if its the alcohol ingredients they are not sure about, isnt alcohol usually distilled? which for celiacs would be ok?? im not sure here, im just posing the question....

It's the grain that they use to distill it that causes the problem...same with white distilled vinegar...you can't be sure it's gluten free unless it says it is.

Although I did print off a list of gluten free avon products that was updated on 9/24/2008 and skin so soft bath oils are on the gluten free list now.

[TrillumHunter]

White distilled vinegar is gluten-free even if it's made from wheat.

[ravenwoodglass]

White distilled vinegar is gluten-free even if it's made from wheat.

That is true but there are a few celiacs who will react to distilled gluten grains. They seem to usually be ones who have either DH or significant brain impact.