Gluten Free Soap
Anyone who has Celiac disease or sensitivities to the gluten found in wheat, rye, and many other grains is usually very vigilant about avoiding foods and drinks that might contain gluten. However, they should also be aware of whether the cosmetic and skin care products in their bathroom contains gluten as it can negatively impact them as well though absorption through the skin.
While soaps and other skin care products containing natural alternative ingredients instead of unpronounceable chemicals have become increasingly more popular, their natural label does not necessarily equate to being gluten free. There are a number of ingredients in soaps that contain gluten, usually the moisturizing agent or fragrance. Some of the ingredients that those with gluten sensitivities need to avoid include:
- Wheat/Flour
- Rye
- Barley
- Buttermilk
- Gelatinzied Starch
- Gum base
Due to cross contamination with other products containing gluten, soaps containing these ingredients should also be avoided:
- Oats
- Cocoa
Of course not all gluten containing ingredients will have straightforward and easy to read names, some soaps–even natural ones will often have more scientific sounding ingredient names like hydrolyzed wheat starch. Fortunately, most of these complicated sounding ingredients usual contain the word wheat or grain in the name, which is a dead giveaway.
A few years ago gluten-free soaps were a rare find in stores and almost none of the few gluten-free soap manufacturers ever advertised that their products were actually gluten-free. Things have changed significantly, and there is now a wide selection of gluten free soaps that also contain only natural ingredients in a variety of sources including your local brick and mortar stores and online retailers like Amazon.com. It is also possible to make your own gluten-free soap using one of the many different soap making recipes available with a quick search online.