Aveeno Says Product Is Gluten Free But Lies!

[Terbie]

I just got off the phone is an Aveeno customer service representative and I am completely pissed off!

I asked if a particular product is gluten free and she said that it is. Then I asked if it contained oats (because lots of Aveeno products do) to see if there might be a chance that I would get glutened from the oats and the woman said that she didn't know.

Then, I asked if there oats were certified as gluten free and she had to go ask her manager. She came back and said that their products are only tested for wheat. She said that their oats and parsley aren't certified gluten free.

Parsley?!? Huh?

I doubled checked that I heard her correctly and she said yes. That the only thing that they test for is wheat, NOT GLUTEN.

How is your product gluten free if you don't test for it?!?

Answer: "Because we say it is."

Excuse me?!?!?!?

Not only that, the woman started lecturing me on the fact that I need to educate myself about gluten because it's found not only in wheat, but also in parsley!!! Parsley?!?

I said that gluten is found in wheat, barley, and rye, not parsley. I also told her that wheat free and gluten free are NOT the same thing and that they shouldn't tell people that their products are gluten free if they are only wheat free because that could seriously hurt someone. She said that I needed to educate myself more on gluten because I obviously didn't know what I was talking about.

WHAT THE?!?

PLEASE contact the company with me and demand that they stop telling people that their products are gluten free when they really only test for wheat in their products! Here is their contact info online: https://www.aveeno.com/contact-us.jsp

Also, don't try the number on the back of your Aveeno product. I called it and person on the other line said, "Hi, this is Universal Studios." I called again to double check and behold, the number on the product is wrong. Here is the correct number I got off the website: 1-877-298-2525

Stop using all your Aveeno products! Even if they said that they are gluten free because apparently they don't actually test for it!

[MyMississippi]

Gluten in Parsley?????????????????????????

It's hard to get "good help" these days.

[ShayFL]

Barley and parsley sound similar phonetically. She is sooooo confused. I avoid their products anyway because of the oats. I use mostly Dove and Burt's Bees that I know are safe.

[ravenwoodglass]

I just got off the phone is an Aveeno customer service representative and I am completely pissed off!

I asked if a particular product is gluten free and she said that it is. Then I asked if it contained oats (because lots of Aveeno products do) to see if there might be a chance that I would get glutened from the oats and the woman said that she didn't know.

Then, I asked if there oats were certified as gluten free and she had to go ask her manager. She came back and said that their products are only tested for wheat. She said that their oats and parsley aren't certified gluten free.

Parsley?!? Huh?

I doubled checked that I heard her correctly and she said yes. That the only thing that they test for is wheat, NOT GLUTEN.

How is your product gluten free if you don't test for it?!?

Answer: "Because we say it is."

Excuse me?!?!?!?

Not only that, the woman started lecturing me on the fact that I need to educate myself about gluten because it's found not only in wheat, but also in parsley!!! Parsley?!?

I said that gluten is found in wheat, barley, and rye, not parsley. I also told her that wheat free and gluten free are NOT the same thing and that they shouldn't tell people that their products are gluten free if they are only wheat free because that could seriously hurt someone. She said that I needed to educate myself more on gluten because I obviously didn't know what I was talking about.

WHAT THE?!?

PLEASE contact the company with me and demand that they stop telling people that their products are gluten free when they really only test for wheat in their products! Here is their contact info online: https://www.aveeno.com/contact-us.jsp

Also, don't try the number on the back of your Aveeno product. I called it and person on the other line said, "Hi, this is Universal Studios." I called again to double check and behold, the number on the product is wrong. Here is the correct number I got off the website: 1-877-298-2525

Stop using all your Aveeno products! Even if they said that they are gluten free because apparently they don't actually test for it!

I would toss that product it may be counterfit with an interesting phone number like that. Did you read the rep the UPC code to verify that it was actually a product of theirs, not that that couldn't be faked also.

I also avoid their products and since you were talking to a rep in heaven knows where I agree with Shay that they were most likely saying barley. I do agree they are giving misleading info though if they ignore the oat issue.

[Terbie]

I bought the product at a huge chain grocery store (Ralphs) a few months back before I knew that you really shouldn't use beauty products that aren't gluten free. I hadn't used it yet.

Counterfeit? Geez, that would be a twist! I figured that they just changed their phone number.

Aveeno makes that product because the woman on the phone knew what I was talking about, so at least that's true.

All I know is, I wanted to post my experience just in case people were searching online about Aveeno because what they said on the phone doesn't lead me to believe their product is safe and I wanted people to know. Plus, mixing up parsley and barley would be really amusing if it wasn't so dangerous. The woman was SO sure that she knew what she was talking about. Sigh.

[Phyllis28]

I am sorry to hear Aveeno customer reps are not trainned well. I always use Dove products.

I usually start a conversation or e-mail with one of the two following statements depending on who I am talking to:

Is your product gluten free? Does it contain any wheat, oats, rye or barley?

OR

Does your product contain an wheat, oats rye or barley?

I try to never assume the person on the other end of the phone actually knows what gluten is.

[Mark Hammer]

Are people directly sensitive to gluten on their skin? I thought the whole fear of gluten was it making its way to your digestive system. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/expert-answers/celiac-disease/faq-20057879

[mbrookes]

21 hours ago, Mark Hammer said:

Are people directly sensitive to gluten on their skin? I thought the whole fear of gluten was it making its way to your digestive system. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/expert-answers/celiac-disease/faq-20057879

That is also my understanding. I can see concern about lip products, but who eats deodorant? Shampoo? I close my mouth in the shower. 

[Gemini]

I will also add that people who have skin sensitivities either have an additional wheat allergy or with DH, skin is almost always very sensitive overall.  The gluten reaction is caused by gluten making it's way into your gut, which does begin at the mouth.  So, if you cannot shower without ingesting wheat/barley containing shampoo into your mouth, or have additional allergies, use a gluten free shampoo.  Otherwise, it is not a problem.

[Moggy]

I've got dh, and cannot tolerate wheat on my skin. Shampoo residue stays on hair, hands go on hair, then to mouth. Same with skin cream. If I have to touch a gluteney thing I wash my hands. Cross contamination is a real thing.

The Aveeno rep sounds infuriating. Nowadays I presume even gluten-free labelled products are not gluten-free until ive checked. Ive been glutened too many times. Its marketing blurb, they dont care about our health. 

The 20ppm thing is a joke too. I cant be the only one to react to that level. Anyway, eat enough 20ppm products it all.adds up. 

Companies get away with it because they are allowed to.

 

 

[Lover89]

Gluten cannot be absorbed by the skin according to the Mayo Clinic.  A rash can occur from gluten products, but it is not part of a celiac diagnosis, but of a secondary diagnosis.  So if you’re simply “celiac,” then you shouldn’t worry unless you have the other diagnosis as well. 
 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/expert-answers/celiac-disease/faq-20057879