Cereals are not only found in our plates. They are also incorporated into everyday cosmetics for the benefits they provide to the epidermis. There are numerous types of them, and they are not to be classified in the same category depending on whether people have an atopic skin or suffer from coeliac disease. CosmeticOBS has listed the INCI names of the main cereals containing gluten or not.
Main actives containing gluten
Gluten is composed of two reserve proteins (gliadin and glutenin) that can be found in particular cereals such as wheat, barley, rye, and oats.
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal that provides the cosmetics industry with numerous actives: proteins, flour, germs, starch, gluten, amino acids…
However, the hydrolyzed proteins are those that have received significant attention recently, due to their allergenic nature. They are contained in large quantity both in hair products, for their nourishing and restructuring action on hair fibres, and in skincare creams (moisturizers and anti-aging products), and they are very rich in amino acids, which help preserve the epidermis and nails. But the process used to obtain them, hydrolysis, modifies and reinforces the natural allergenicity of gluten. And this is what makes them critical for people allergic to gluten, but also for those that tolerate it very well in its natural form.
In a revised Opinion published last October 22, 2014, the SCCS mentioned that ‘
there are indications that the risk of sensitization is higher when hydrolyzed wheat proteins of higher molecular weight are used on the skin, in particular as an ingredient of products that have strong surfactant properties such as soaps …
