Gluten Free Lip Gloss

Gluten in lip balm..

Guess it shouldn't be too much of a shocker, it seems to be a filler in EVERYTHING!!  Honestly I never thought about it, until someone pointed out that I'm constantly applying lip gloss, so I would be licking my lips, and ingesting gluten...AAhhh!! Ranting aside; Earlier this year I my lips broke out really bad in a painful rash with horrible swelling and chapped raw, for what seemed like no reason. I wasn't sure what caused it, I ended up using plain old Vasaline to bring the swelling down, and get my poor chapped lips back to normal. Silly me really didn't think it was my lip gloss, I was using Blistex Raspberry Lemonade flavor. We left on vacation about a month later, I left the jar of Vasaline at home, the 2nd day of vacation, using the Blistex my lips started to break out again. I was crushed! I'd been using this for 2 years, and it my lips hurt so bad! I contacted the manufacturer, they said it was gluten free.... But I really don't know what the issue was, I discontinued that brand, and went on a hunt to find something else! No issues have risen since then, so I still think there is a connection with the Raspberry Lemonade Blistex. 

Here are the big red flags for beauty products, if any of these ingredients are listed, they are automatically not gluten free;
TRITICUM VULGARE (wheat bran)
SECALE CEREALE (rye seed extract)
HORDEUM VULGARE (barley)
AVENA SATIVA (oat bran)

Below I have listed products I've researched, purchase, and contacted to find out if they are gluten free. 

EOS - Their lip balm is labeled gluten free; on the lower back corner of the package. But you will find it there if you flip it over and look. Their lip balm sphere is easy to recognize, and so many people are using it lately. I love their flavor options! It's also easy to find. I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond, but regularly see them in the checkout line at Target, The grocery store, and 5 Below.

Vasaline - In my opinion - if you want basic, does the job, and will help heal your lips, you're looking right at it! They do make a cherry and coca butter flavor, both are good, in addition to the regular plain one. It's nothing fancy, but it works great. Especially good for those colder winter nights.

Yes to Carrots - I had tried their travel face wipes once, because they advertised gluten free. I love their Yes to Cucumber ones the best. I emailed them to find out if their lip balm was also gluten free, because they sell it at my local drug store in both regular, and tinted. I got this email back from them. 

• Our lip butters are gluten free! Please note that all items are produced in the same facility, so we cannot guarantee them to be 100% gluten free. You can always email care-ettes@yestocarrots.com for an updated list of gluten free items.

 
Burt's Bees - Reading their website FAQ's it states that you should contact them for more infomation on any products that may contain gluten. None of their products are actually labeled gluten free, and their customer service advises (below) to read the ingredients for each product online (so you really don't want me to contact you?). I don't know about you, but there are A LOT of ingredients in their lip balm... Personally, I'm staying away, and would put this in the use at your own risk.

• While we can identify products in which we do not use raw materials containing gluten, we cannot certify that our vendors did not process these ingredients on equipment where contamination could occur. For the most accurate source of information, please refer to the list of ingredients on our website or on the product. 

Carmex - Sometimes the good old basics are best. If you check out the FAQ's it points out that there is no gluten in any of their ingredients, and that they don't even use flour in their manufacturing, so there is no chance of it being on the conveyor belts.  

Kiss My Face - I've seen this brand in a lot of natural and health stores, they carry a variety of beauty products. The first time I looked them up I was having issues finding out if they were gluten free or not. I contacted them directly and they came back with a list of their GF Products and a note about their balms shimmers and shines being gluten free. In the list of products that are gluten free, they had toothpaste and sunscreens listed as well. (Be right back, while I go pick up some sunscreen! Win!)

• Please note all our balms, shimmers and shines are gluten free.

Lip Smackers - I found Lip Smackers Naturals a few places, they have four flavors.It's very much like the regular Lip Smackers flavors, but the gluten free label is right on the lip gloss tube, as well as the outside package it comes in. -- I am waiting for a word back from their customer service team for more details since the Naturals line is not listed on their website.

Nivea - While at my local drug store I decided to check out what other brands of over the counter lip balm were available. I have heard good things about Nivea products from my mom, so I contacted their customer service. From the response I got, the answer seems like it would be they are gluten free at this time, but the formula could change, and there are cross contamination worries.

• At Beiersdorf, we strive to offer our consumers the best products possible, and therefore we may reformulate them when improvement is possible.  The information we give you today regarding our ingredients may not be true if we reformulate a product.  We encourage you to always check the product ingredient labeling for the above listed ingredients.
• It is always possible that there may be traces of gluten since ingredients and products are not manufactured in gluten-free facilities.

Blistex - I used their products for about 2 years with no issues. The raspberry lemonade one did me in. I had used their smoothies flavor and their mint ones with no incident, but I worried something might turn out to be an issue with those with time.

• Thank you for your interest in the Blistex Lip Care products.  We are pleased to inform you that all Blistex lip care products are gluten free of wheat, rye, barley and oats.

BareEscentuals - The website has a listing of products that are gluten free. The Lip Rev-er up was the only one that they listed on their list. When I did a reverse look up for the product, it's no longer available. So they are out on lip products, but they offer quite an array of other make up products that they list as gluten free.

Badger Balm - I've heard this brand recommended by a few people, and have seen it in the store when shopping, but haven't tried them. Their products are made on shared lines with items that contain gluten, despite cleaning, they don't guarantee they are gluten free. Cross contamination can happen.

• Our Sunscreens and Lip Balms are filled by off-site contractors.  Badger does not use any ingredients in our Sunscreens or Lip Balms that contain gluten. However, the facility in which they are filled also processes wheat and gluten materials on the same machinery. These facilities take great measures, following GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and conduct careful cleanings between product transitions, including taking the machinery apart, to greatly reduce the possibility of cross contamination.  However, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee these products gluten free.

M.A.C. - I was not able to find any definitive information on their web page. I decided to contact their customer service and received this response from them. Leading me to put them in the NOT Gluten Free Safe Category. They might be ok, but it's up to you if you want to risk it.

• In addressing your concern about gluten, we would like to explain that a vast number of raw materials from many different suppliers and sources are used in the manufacture of Estee Lauder Companies' products.  It is therefore not possible for us to fully guarantee that our products are completely free of ingredients that may elicit an allergic response in highly sensitive individuals who react to gluten.  For example, it is possible that small amounts of a wheat sourced ingredient may remain on shared manufacturing equipment even after a thorough cleaning.  We therefore recommend that you discuss this with your physician, because consumer safety is of utmost concern to us.

Avon - Their website does list ingredients for all products, but none actually state gluten ingridents. After contacting their customer service team, they were able to provide me that these 4 lip products are gluten free.

• After researching, I've listed below some of the products that are gluten free:
  - Glazewear Lip Gloss Intense
  - Glazewear Sparkle Lip Gloss
  - Glazewear Lip Gloss Shine
  - Dew Kiss Lip Dew

Neutrogena - I couldn't find any information on their website, so I contacted customer service. Their statement was more positive, though they do not specifically test for gluten, they don't use gluten containing ingredients. This would still fall under, the use at your own risk category.

• Thank you for contacting Neutrogena Corporation, makers of NEUTROGENA® Lip Products.  It is always important to hear from our consumers, and we appreciate the time you have taken to contact us. We do not specifically test for the presence of gluten in our products; therefore, we cannot certify them to be gluten free.  While I can tell you that there are no gluten-containing grains in this product, I cannot guarantee that cross-contamination with gluten did not occur in the manufacturing process.

Younique - I never had heard of this product and it looks like it's only sold online and thru sales reps (think Mary Kay). I reached out to them on their products.

• Thank you for contacting Younique Support with your concerns, I want to ensure you all Younique products are gluten free, with the exception of the Refreshed Rose Water. The Refreshed Rose Water contains Beta Glucan derived from oats

Mineral Fusion - They have a tinted color lip gloss wand. They are free of gluten, paraben, and artificial colors, fragrances and talc.

Afterglow Cosmetics - All their makeup is 100% Gluten Free - They offer both lip gloss and lip stick.

Red Apple - Completely gluten free lip gloss and lipstick line. Their products are also soy, dairy, and paraben free, as well as being vegan. I got a sample of their lip€stick at the Gluten Free Expo, I really like how it wears. Now if I wore lipstick more than 3-5 times a year I'd be purchasing some! If you keep an eye on their website, they do throw sales from time to time!

The final round up would say, EOS, Vasaline, Yes to Carrots, Carmex, Blistex, Kiss My Face, Mineral Fusion, Afterglow Cosmetics, and Red Apple are truly safe options when it comes to lip products to use. Avon does have options, but make sure you get the right ones since they do have others that are not on their safe list. Any others, you may want to proceed with caution.