Proctor And Gamble Cosmetics

[breavenewworld]

i emailed p and g about some hairspray (i know most hairspray has gluten because of the alcohol) and got a letter back that i'll paste below. i was less than satisfied with their effort so i wrote them back and will paste my response below that. did i give them correct info? i just wanted to get feedback if what i said was ok or not, i hope i represented more than just myself...

them:

Thank you for contacting us about Gluten in our products.

We do not intentionally add Gluten to our cosmetic products.

Cosmetic products can feature a variety of ingredients extracted from grains. As Gluten too is a grain derived ingredient, it cannot be excluded that trace amounts of Gluten may come along with common raw material supplies.

It is generally believed that Gluten needs to be ingested to produce sensitivity and therefore use of hair and skin products is not likely to trigger a reaction. However, the degree of sensitivity varies from person to person; we highly recommend that you consult with your physician before using any products.

We also refer you to online websites such as celiac.com or celiac.org for further information. One of the questions asked on the website celiac.com is "Can products which contain gluten but only touch the skin affect celiacs?" and the response is "Very few celiacs are likely to have any reaction to topical gluten contact. In order for a gut reaction to occur, it is likely that direct contact with the gut lumen is required. Many people with celiac disease have everyday contact with gluten (for instance, bakers with celiac disease who have contact everyday with wheat flour), and do not have any reaction to it. However, there are, on rare occasion, people who have had an anaphylactoid response to gluten, and these people should avoid gluten in all forms. Also, topical gluten breathed into the upper airways may cause symptoms of allergic rhinitis in rare instances. If there is a simple alternative to a shampoo, cosmetic, etc., you may want to use the non gluten containing product."

me:

Hello-

thank you so much for the prompt reply and gluten statement. I'm sure I speak for more than just myself when I suggest that it would be great if in the future P&G would look into which of the cosmetics do contain wheat/barley/rye-derived ingredients and which do not. Neutrogena and many other cosmetic lines have ingredient lists available to their customer service reps and most also have "gluten lists" instead of a letter referring people to celiac.com. While it is true that some people believe using gluten-containing skin care products will not harm a person with celiac, more and more people are understanding that the skin absorbs what it comes in contact with and professionals are now recommending that celiacs avoid gluten in all products they use. Also, people with the skin condition D.H. might feel this letter is irrelevant to them since they definitely do react to topical gluten. I feel it would be more well-recieved if P&G offered information on which products they should buy instead of a statement with elementary and somewhat outdated information about gluten product use. It would also result in more sales in the cosmetic line as many people who have to pay attention to ingredients are drawn to companies that are willing to do the same.

thank you for your time.

[jststric]

I think your response was right on and very well put. There were parts of their letter that sounded a bit condascending and insulting as they are trying to "educate" us poor people. It's not their place to educate us...most of us know more than they ever will. Their place is to know all things about their products. And apparently they don't and are trying to cover it up with drivel. I'm glad you pointed out other companies having the information we need. Hopefully it will show them that we have other choices other than P & G products. If they won't play ball, we just go play somewhere else. Good job!

[Ahorsesoul]

Excellent response.