Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[terrenity]

I just popped an email off to the lab enquiring about both peanuts in MVJBA and about almond oil as a carrier. I'll let you know when I get an answer!

[BelleAnge]

Looks like something in Depraved does not like me. The wrists are itching so I washed off as much as I could.

[evenstar]

I had my first (and please God, only) reaction to a BPAL oil yesterday. It was CHUPAROSA, which I noticed someone earlier on this page had basically the same reaction. Started with an itch and then a burning sensation and then red whelps which eventually went away after a shower. Some of the friends I have met on the forum mentioned different possible reasons...Cardamon, almond, cassia, cinnamon (which I am pretty sure wasn't it...I have others with that aspect...possibly a different kind of cinnamon??? Although it wasn't mentioned, it did smell "cinnamony" when I applied it.) I hope that NEVER happens again! I have several new ones I haven't tried yet and as one of my BPAL buds suggested, I won't be slathering it all over my neck and arms at the first application.

 

Chuparosa was lovely, but I am afraid to even put it in an oil diffuser...don't want to be inhaling whatever the "bad guy" was. If anybody has any ideas what might have been in that one, please PM me so I can avoid it like the plague in the future

Edited May 4, 2008 by evenstar

[whisperingmachines]

Apparently Dorian doesn't like my neck. I've got a bugbite-sized bump (like a normal person sized bump, bug bites swell to the size of quarters/half dollars on me) on my neck behind my ears, so I guess that area is too sensitive for oil. I'll try the cleavage area at some point and see if thats any better.

[terrenity]

Got a reply from the lab!!

 

Bill says, and I quote:

 

"We deliberately list all blends that contain any nutty ingredients,

specifically for people who are allergic. We do not use almond oil as a

carrier (nor do we use any other carriers). I don't know whether you

should be concerned about cross-contamination, but I can try to look

into it and get back to you with an answer."

 

So it sounds like there's no need to worry about "hidden" nuts in blends, woot! Which means I can add some to my wishlist that I'd shied away from because people mentioned almond in the reviews. Dana O' Shee, here I come!

 

Yet another reason to LOVE the Lab - they're allergy-conscious!

 

As for cross-contamination, I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

[StrawberryKitten]

Hi Everyone!

 

So I tried Medea today and had a horrible allergic reaction to it.

 

Given that, are there any other scents I should stay far far away from?

 

Thanks,

BerryKitten

Edited May 7, 2008 by BerryKitten

[tartchef]

Oh no! What kind of allergic reaction - hives, rash, headache?

 

We have a whole thread devoted to the various reactions folks have experienced over in the FAQ section...

 

Looking at the notes in Medea, maybe the cypress or labadnum? Perhaps the black currant?

[StrawberryKitten]

Oh no! What kind of allergic reaction - hives, rash, headache?

 

We have a whole thread devoted to the various reactions folks have experienced over in the FAQ section...

 

Looking at the notes in Medea, maybe the cypress or labadnum? Perhaps the black currant?

 

Thank you!

 

gaa - I'm such a n00b - I never know where to look for things. ;;;

[Scanmike]

With many of the florals, I get a rash. Very itchy. Especially Sea of Glass, Rose Moon, Amsterdam and Danube. If I wear any of the BPALS for too many consecutive days my skin gets rough and itchy..

[jizatt]

Same here - I just tried this one the other day and looooved the smell but it gave me the worst case of contact dermatitis I've ever had (even worse than Eclipse and The Phantom Calliope). I did apply it right after a shower, which seems like it makes a difference? according to this thread.

 

I may try putting a little lotion on first before trying this again. I SO want this one to work.

 

I applied Queen of Sheba to the insides of my elbows today and developed a rash about 30 seconds later. Of the 12 scents I've tried, this is the only one that has affected me in this way.

 

Guess I'll stick to just running the wand through my hair.

 

 

I had the same exact prob, same oil. I had just taken a shower - so I'm going to try again later *when I feel brave.* What I couldnt' get washed off smelled so DIVINE it almost made me cry!

[ClareN]

Got a reply from the lab!!

 

Bill says, and I quote:

 

"We deliberately list all blends that contain any nutty ingredients,

specifically for people who are allergic. We do not use almond oil as a

carrier (nor do we use any other carriers). I don't know whether you

should be concerned about cross-contamination, but I can try to look

into it and get back to you with an answer."

 

So it sounds like there's no need to worry about "hidden" nuts in blends, woot! Which means I can add some to my wishlist that I'd shied away from because people mentioned almond in the reviews. Dana O' Shee, here I come!

 

Yet another reason to LOVE the Lab - they're allergy-conscious!

 

As for cross-contamination, I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

That is good to know, but now I'm wondering about the carrier oil thing. The site FAQ says that perfume oil is 15 - 80% perfume oil. I always assumed this meant that the other 20 - 85% would be carrier oil. I never thought this was a bad thing or made BPAL less "pure" or anything; from the limited amount I know about perfumery, there are some natural components that are simply way too strong to be used on their own, and carrier oils would help them smell "right" to our noses, and prevent them from irritating our skin in some cases. Is Bill really saying that the Lab uses no carrier oils at all, ever, even for the jasmine, rose, and cinnamon blends?

 

If that's the case, I'm starting to worry that maybe I should be diluting ALL my oils before I use them...

[septima_pica]

You know, I never thought this through before, but the Lab is all vegan, so I bet I could wear the dairy notes without trouble. (I'm very allergic to milk.)

 

There was, however, something in The Buggre Alle This Bible that gave me a bit of contact dermatitis. Not sure what it was; maybe I'm just allergic to monotheism.

[brsis]

Hmmm... I just had my first allergic reaction to a blend (Well, to anything, really - I've got the immune system of a dragon!) - only problem is, it was Black Phoenix, which has no notes listed.

 

I tested some on the back of my hand and within five minutes it was itching like crazy, and the veins were swollen. I washed it off pretty quick but the skin is still sensitive... probably shouldn't test anything else on it for a while ^.^;;;

 

I did search this thread and several other people seem to have had a similar reaction, does anyone know what note might be causing it? I wear loads of different blends - lots of spices, nuts and the other ones like bergamot and narcissus that seem to give people trouble - with no trouble at all, so I'm pretty much at a loss. I REALLY want to avoid whichever note this is - I have a very nasty allergy-related family history - and I just wanted to ask here before emailing the Lab.

[Iceblink]

Hmmm... I just had my first allergic reaction to a blend (Well, to anything, really - I've got the immune system of a dragon!) - only problem is, it was Black Phoenix, which has no notes listed.

 

I tested some on the back of my hand and within five minutes it was itching like crazy, and the veins were swollen. I washed it off pretty quick but the skin is still sensitive... probably shouldn't test anything else on it for a while ^.^;;;

 

I did search this thread and several other people seem to have had a similar reaction, does anyone know what note might be causing it? I wear loads of different blends - lots of spices, nuts and the other ones like bergamot and narcissus that seem to give people trouble - with no trouble at all, so I'm pretty much at a loss. I REALLY want to avoid whichever note this is - I have a very nasty allergy-related family history - and I just wanted to ask here before emailing the Lab.

 

IIRC there's cherry in Black Phoenix, and that's a note that reacts on a lot of people. If I put MB: Bloody Mary on my throat after a shower it literally makes my skin crawl for a few minutes, for example. And I got horribly itchy from Te Po!

[brsis]

IIRC there's cherry in Black Phoenix, and that's a note that reacts on a lot of people. If I put MB: Bloody Mary on my throat after a shower it literally makes my skin crawl for a few minutes, for example. And I got horribly itchy from Te Po!

 

Hmm... is that regular cherry as opposed to black cherry? Black cherry I can wear with no problems... I'll have to test that bottle of Bloody Mary that arrived the other day.

[ivyandpeony]

I'm not sure if it's cherry or almond in Black Phoenix - those are notes that can smell really similar to a lot of people depending on the variety used and the blend. My nose interpreted it as almond, like the almond in Queen of Sheba and Hecate (and a lot of reviewers say they smell almond), but I've never read a comment from Beth or another Labbie about what exactly is in it.

 

In iceblink's case, Bloody Mary's definitely cherry - but Te Po has cherry and almond, so there's a possibility you're sensitive to both.

 

For the folks upthread who have had reactions to Queen of Sheba, it could be the almond, but I would guess that the spices in that one would be more likely to make the average slightly-sensitive BPAL'er get itchy. (Note this is a guess only and I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet )

[Iceblink]

I'm not sure if it's cherry or almond in Black Phoenix - those are notes that can smell really similar to a lot of people depending on the variety used and the blend. My nose interpreted it as almond, like the almond in Queen of Sheba and Hecate (and a lot of reviewers say they smell almond), but I've never read a comment from Beth or another Labbie about what exactly is in it.

 

In iceblink's case, Bloody Mary's definitely cherry - but Te Po has cherry and almond, so there's a possibility you're sensitive to both.

 

For the folks upthread who have had reactions to Queen of Sheba, it could be the almond, but I would guess that the spices in that one would be more likely to make the average slightly-sensitive BPAL'er get itchy. (Note this is a guess only and I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet )

 

Interesting--you're right; cherry and almond do smell quite similar. I've never had problems with blends where almond dominates *hugs her Dana O'Shee* so I've always thought cherry was the culprit. I haven't ever gotten a rash from Bloody Mary, though, and I did with Te Po. I just get that odd crawly-skin feeling from Mary and it goes away after a few minutes.

I think my strong reaction to Te Po was compounded by the heat wave going on here when I was trying it out as I tend to get a heat rash during the first hot days of the year. Itchy!

[brsis]

I'm not sure if it's cherry or almond in Black Phoenix - those are notes that can smell really similar to a lot of people depending on the variety used and the blend. My nose interpreted it as almond, like the almond in Queen of Sheba and Hecate (and a lot of reviewers say they smell almond), but I've never read a comment from Beth or another Labbie about what exactly is in it.

 

Everybody says almond and cherry smell similar and yet those two I've always been able to tell apart... but I mix up almost everything else! Guess that's me being weird again - especially since my skin drinks both of them. I couldn't detect either in Black Phoenix.

 

Hmm... well, I'm not allergic to cherry (I checked my list, and both Kabuki and Libra have it - didn't react to either). Likewise, I'm not allergic to almond - Dana O'Shee didn't do anything. I guess I'll have to email and find out what allergens are in it, because I don't fancy coming up in vein-popping welts again.

Edited June 26, 2008 by GentlemanCaller

[terrenity]

Dana O' Shee doesn't have almond in it, does it? I know a lot of people mention it in the reviews, but I got the impression from Bill's email that if almond was in the blend they would have listed it in the notes? Unless "sweet grains" includes almonds?

 

I was taken aback when Bill said they never use carrier oils too. If the other 15% or so in their perfume oils isn't a carrier, then what is it? Maybe he isn't including oils taken to properly dilute the irritating ones as carriers? At any rate, I imagine that if the Lab had oils that weren't safe to use undiluted, they would have a disclaimer about it. They're pretty good about taking care of our safety.

 

Anyone notice the new disclaimer on the front page?:

Please be adivsed: this site contains adult content, and the oils are created in an environment that contains nuts.

[ivyandpeony]

I don't smell almond in Dana O'Shee at all (not that my nose is the final arbiter of what is or isn't in a scent) - I think it could be a case of different noses interpreting a certain oatmeal or grain like note. You might find it amazing how many things people smell nuts in that you don't, and vice versa. Try this: go to the search form and type in Peanut Butter; limit your results to the Reviews subforum, search entire posts (not titles) and get results as posts. You should end up with about 7 pages of results with things that belong on there, like the Miskatonic Valley baseball scent, and things that cold make you go "Wha??" like Brimstone, Umbra, Love Me, Cathode, Saint-Germain...

 

There's a thread in Chatter about note speculation - I think it it is also a good illustration because of a discussion of Snow White that took place early in the thread. People smelled almonds, vanilla, coconut, mint and such, and a couple people who had reactions e-mailed the Lab. Beth responded personally and said that almost everything in Snow White is unique to that blend and there is no almond in it, it's something called lily musk and coconut. Still, if you search the 19 page review thread for "almond" you'll get more than 3 pages of reviews that mention it.

 

So that's a little bit of a hijack, I know - I guess what I'm getting at would be, don't panic if someone posts that they smell nuts in a blend if the Lab says they aren't there, but if you are worried, that's what Customer Service is there for and I'd let their word be the final say.

[terrenity]

 

Good points, ivyandpeony! I'll have to go read that bit about Snow White; I've always wondered what's in there.

Edited June 28, 2008 by terrenity

[ClareN]

Snow White and Dana O'Shee don't smell like almond to me either, and they definitely don't behave like most almond scents do (every single BPAL almond scent I've tried has that super-strong rush of sweet cherry-almond when freshly applied, so strong it nearly drowns out all the other notes in the scent, but then fades rapidly and nearly disappears after 10 or 20 minutes).

 

But what about Black Phoenix? That one has a definite almond note that behaves in the same way as the average almond scent - I'd bet an amount of money on it being that same almond note as Voodoo, Seraglio, Hecate, Hellcat, etc. But there are no notes listed for Black Phoenix. Maybe that will change, if the Lab is becoming more allergy-conscious?

[brsis]

Hmm, I was sure Dana O'Shee had almond, because it behaved like almond usually does - I.E. it smells like Bakewell tart and then dissapears pronto - but checking the notes you're right - it WOULD be listed if it was in there.

 

I don't know if Black Phoenix has almond or not, but it's not what triggered my reaction - I can wear other almond scents (Bastet, Eclipse, Port-Au-Prince, Baron Samedi etc) behind my ears and in the crook of my elbow without any trouble. This was just on the back of my hand.

Edited June 30, 2008 by GentlemanCaller

[Iceblink]

I've never had any trouble with blends that really *do* contain almond either. Bastet, Eclipse, Port-au-Prince...there are probably a dozen I've tried and my only problem with them is that they don't usually smell so great on me, heheh. Te Po may be the one exception but based on my other issues with cherry I'm still blaming the cherry in that one. (Tragically--I *loved* Te Po! But it just wasn't meant to be.)

[meaganola]

Yikes! My first OW OW OW BURNING oil! Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal. I'm hoping that it's just a reaction between the oil, the alcohol (I use perfumers' alcohol), and the fact that I was *sweating* all night due to the fact that my apartment hot (high 80s, which is hot for this area) since I used this one a *lot* in January/February when I first received it with no problems. I haven't worn it since late February just because I have many, many imps to test and just haven't gone back to wear old favorites. The burning and redness went away after an hour or two, but it still makes me nervous that this is going to be an issue in the future with more and more oils. At least I do have a couple of scent lockets (White Rabbit! Clocket!) so I won't have to go scent-free, whether it's a weather/sweating issue or a newly-developed skin sensitivity.