L'Oreal's Response

I also asked L'Oreal if they had gluten derivative free makeup.

Here's the response:


We thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with us.

We must say that we cannot guarantee that materials in our products have not been, at some point in their manufacturing or processing, in contact with a gluten-containing ingredient.

If you have celiac disease, you need to be concerned with cosmetic products that go in or near your mouth (lipstick, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.).  If you are caring for a child with celiac disease, you may also be concerned about products used on their hands that might go in their mouth.

In general, if a product goes on your hair or on your skin, you do not need to be concerned because the protein that causes problems is too large to be absorbed through the skin. However, certain people claim to have had problems with skin lotions.

The following list of ingredients that are used in our products are those that contain wheat and other grains.  This list may also be used by the celiac patient to identify gluten-containing ingredients.  This list gives the standard industry names for ingredients as found in the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.

Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour Cyclodextrin Dextrin Dextrin Palmitate Hydrolyzed Malt Extract Hydrolyzed Oat Flour Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Hydrolyzed Wheat Flour Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch Malt Extract Maltodextrin

Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Flour Sodium C8-16 Isoalkylsuccinyl Wheat Protein Sulfonate Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Gluten Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch Wheat Amino Acids Wheat Germ Glycerides Wheat Germamidopropalkonium Chloride Wheat Protein Wheatgermamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate Yeast Extract

All the ingredients we use in a product are listed on the package or on the label of the product itself.  Comparing this list with the ingredients listed on our products will help you to identify the ingredients you would like to avoid.

We hope this information is helpful.  In doubt, we recommend that you consult with your physician.

P.S.: The same goes for the Maybelline products.

Best regards,

Line Miserere Consumer Care Center
L'Oréal Canada Inc. 1 800 287.0960 (x 2672) 

ECCO BELLA Products

This company sells natural organic GLUTEN FREE & VEGAN skin care products and makeup NOT tested on animals. 

Worth checking out at:
ECCO BELLA

GLUTEN FREE COSMETIC COUNTER

I was able to find this blog by Erika K. She has taken on the task of identifying gluten derivative free makeup. Thank you Erika.

Please check out Erika's info at Gluten Free Cosmetic Counter.

COVER GIRL MAKEUP FOUNDATION

I stopped wearing makeup years ago because it made my skin feel "dirty" and at times itchy, it now appears that it may have been related to gluten intolerance. This occurred with all sorts of brands and products.

I contacted Cover Girl makeup and asked them if they had gluten derivative free makeup available.
Sara from Cover Girl contacted me to let me know the following:

"I know how serious Celiac/Gluten disease is and hope I can help with your questions. If wheat or wheat extract is directly added to the formula, it will be listed in the Ingredient Statement on the label. If it isn't listed it isn't directly added to the product. If wheat or wheat extract is added to the perfume it will not be listed, but potentially present at very low levels. If you are concerned try using our fragrance free products. Here is a list of foundations, but if you have a question about a specific product please let me know.

Fragrance Free Foundation:
Clean Oil Control
Clean Sensitive Skin
Fresh Complexion Pocket Powder foundation
COVERGIRL & Olay Simply Ageless Foundation
COVERGIRL & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer
Simply Powder Foundation
Smoothers All-Day Hydrating Makeup
Smoothers SPF 15 Tinted Moisture
TruBlend MicroMinerals Foundation
TruBlend Liquid Makeup
TruBlend Whipped Foundation
Ultimate Finish Liquid Powder

I hope this helps! :)
Sara"

Sara was very helpful.
I've also asked Sara about blush, cover sticks or creams, eyeliners, mascara, lip glosses and lipstick.
For any make up I do purchase I'll be taking a list of gluten derivatives from page 171 & 172 from Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book "The G Free Diet". Get a copy of the GLUTEN FREE DERIVATIVES here.
I'll post that info when I recieve it.
After all harvesting my life includes not just feeling healthy, but feeling good about how you look and the quality of your life.

Another article from Science Daily about the roll that viral infections may play in the development of  gluten intolerance.
 As a young adult while homesteading in rural Manitoba I had giardia infection(this is an intestinal parasite usually aquired from untreated or poorly treated water).
This was in addition to lifelong problems with digestion and elimination, which I thought was normal. My one sister and my father were the same.

Virus Infections May Be Contributing Factor in Onset of Gluten Intolerance

ScienceDaily (Mar. 7, 2010) — Recent research findings indicate a possible connection between virus infections, the immune system and the onset of gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease.

 

A research project in the Academy of Finland's Research Program on Nutrition, Food and Health (ELVIRA) has brought new knowledge on the hereditary nature of gluten intolerance and identified genes that carry a higher risk of developing the condition. Research has shown that the genes in question are closely linked with the human immune system and the occurrence of inflammations, rather than being connected with the actual breakdown of gluten in the digestive tract.
"Some of the genes we have identified are linked with human immune defense against viruses. This may indicate that virus infections may be connected in some way with the onset of gluten intolerance," says Academy Research Fellow Päivi Saavalainen, who has conducted research into the hereditary risk factors for gluten intolerance.
Saavalainen explains that the genes that predispose people to gluten intolerance are very widespread in the population and, as a result, they are only a minor part of the explanation for the way in which gluten intolerance is inherited. However, the knowledge of the genes behind gluten intolerance is valuable in itself, as it helps researchers explore the reasons behind gluten intolerance, which in turn builds potential for developing new treatments and preventive methods. This is essential, because the condition is often relatively symptom-free, yet it can have serious complications unless treated.
Researchers have localized the risk genes by using data on patients and on entire families. The material in the Finnish study is part of a very extensive study of thousands of people with gluten intolerance and control groups in nine different populations. The research will be published in a forthcoming issue of Nature Genetics.
Research into hereditary conditions has made great progress over the past few years. Gene researchers now face their next challenge, as a closer analysis is now needed of the risk factors in the genes that predispose people to gluten intolerance. It is important to discover how they impact on gene function and what part they play in the onset of gluten intolerance.
Gluten intolerance is an autoimmune reaction in the small intestine. Roughly one in a hundred Finns suffer from this condition. The gluten that occurs naturally in grains such as wheat, barley and rye causes damage to the intestinal villi, problems with nutrient absorption and potentially other problems too. Gluten intolerance is an inherited predisposition, and nearly all sufferers carry the genes that play a key part in the onset of the condition. The only known effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.

CELIAC DISEASE & CROHN'S DISEASE Share Part of their Genetic Link

I found some interesting information about studies that are indicating that Celiac Disease and Crohn's Disease have genetic links.
The website Science Daily has many articles covering a variety of topics.

The article they posted was:

Celiac Disease and Crohn's Disease Share Part of Their Genetic Background

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2011) — An investigation has found that celiac disease and Crohn's disease, both inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, share at least four genetic risk loci. Together, researchers from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands; the Broad Institute, USA; the Université de Montréal and Montreal Heart Institute in Canada performed a combined meta-analysis of genome-wide data for celiac disease and Crohn's disease. This meta-analysis, published in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics on January 27, has identified two new shared risk loci and two shared risk loci that had previously been independently identified for each disease.

The pathogenesis of both celiac disease and Crohn's disease is only partly understood, although it is known that they are affected by both genetic and environmental risk factors. At least one in every hundred individuals in the Western world develop celiac disease; Crohn's disease is much less common but can be accompanied by more severe symptoms as it can affect the whole gastrointestinal tract. Celiac patients develop an inflammation of the small bowel in reaction to gluten, whereas there is no specific known autoantigen for Crohn's disease.

However, the primary cause of Crohn's disease is thought to be a dysregulated immune response to gut bacteria. In order to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis and to aid in developing therapies against these disorders, knowledge of the genetic background of the diseases is vital.
As it has previously been shown that celiac patients are at a higher risk of developing Crohn's disease than non-sufferers, it had been thought that the two illnesses would share genetic risk loci. This study combined the results from the genetic investigations into both diseases to show that part of the genetic background of Crohn's disease and celiac disease is shared, which confirms a common pathogenesis for these disorders. Although additional studies will be necessary to understand the mechanisms by which these variants influence both Crohn's disease and celiac, the current study provides a proof of principle that risk factors shared across related diseases can be identified by directly combining genetic data from clinically distinct diseases.