Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[Gwydion]

I had a really bad reaction to just sniffing SVADHINAPATIKA. I can't find the ingredient list. Does any one know what's in this? It's extremely important I not be exposed to whatever it was again.

The listed notes of Svadhinaopatika are golden amber, oude, red sandalwood, massoia bark, honey, and currant, although there could also be other ingredients that aren't listed. Have you ever had that sort of reaction to another BPAL, or anything else? And have you tried any other BPALs with any of those notes? If you've previously tried another BPAL with, say, honey, and it didn't cause that reaction, that might mean that honey isn't the culprit, which could help you narrow down the possibilities.

 

I'm mildly reactive to vetiver, orris, and mint.

 

I know I have no trouble with the elements except for oude and massoia bark. Oude is one of those terms denoting several things (IE high end perfume oil from the middle east or India, which may be rose, but not always).

 

I looked up massoia bark now that I have the name and it's a known skin irritant. I'm putting my bet on the massoia. It doesn't surprise me at all that my wonky system can't cope with fumes from a skin irritant. No wonder I couldn't identify it from the smell.

 

Thanks for writing in.

[lady_pandora]

Posting here because I'm a bit baffled about my sandalwood headaches...

 

I get headaches often from sandalwood blends, but it seems to only happen with products where the sandalwood has a soft, perfumey, almost incensey quality (Underpants, Hymn to Proserpine, B&BW Sensual Amber, and pretty much every sandalwood-scented incense stick i've ever smelled).

 

There are other oils where the sandalwood smells more like a chunk of wood (Anne Bonny, Fenris Wolf), and these never seem to bother me. Are these two different types of sandalwood maybe? Or is it a matter of how it interacts with other components?

 

I also don't get headaches from blends where I never actually smell the sandalwood (Brides of Dracula, Pannychis), so I try not to rule out trying oils just based on that note--because if I amp something else to the exclusion of the 'wood, or if it's the "woody" sandalwood and not the golden glowy kind, then it's no issue at all.

[Reenah]

So I love the rosy Moscow scent on my wrists and thought it'd be nice to have a head of hair smelling like it. So on monday, I mixed some with hair serum which is slightly scented and I was sneezing and my eyes were watering ALL day. It was awful. By the end of the day, I was sure I was coming down with the flu because I was really achy too. It was strange, and I was sure it couldn't be the bpal doing all that. So I tried it again today and I was allergic, but it was not nearly as bad as it was earlier this week. Maybe because I took an Allegra. It was so suprising to have such a violent reaction to something that was so tame on my skin. Could the serum have reacted with the oil to become more allergenic?

Edited November 14, 2007 by Reenah

[l6l803399]

I emailed customer service, but while I am waiting for a reply, does anyone know off hand what oils, other than Diwali, have mango oil in them?

I am very, very allergic to it and I have a bunch of imps that I have been trying each day, but I really don't want to end up covering myself in something that's going to send me to the hospital!

 

Did you get a reply yet? I'm incredibly allergic to mango as well, so I'm very interested I also heard from someone that the mango scents that the lab uses aren't the mango oil that we're allergic to - Beth creates blends of oils that smell like the fruit she's presenting. Of course, don't take my word for this! If you could send me a copy of their reply, I would be infinitely grateful.

[kenaz]

I was wondering if anyone else has had an allergy problem with the chocolate scents? I put on some Dreamland the other morning. A few hours later I receiver Candy Butcher in the mail and put that on too. I was fine until I used Candy Butcher. About an hour later I started wheezing and developed a sore throat. FOUR days later my tonsils are still swollen. My doctor isn't sure if it's my allergies or a virus but I tested negative for strep throat so that's out of the question. Could it be the Candy Butcher? I also had prpblems wearing Black Pearl and The Winter of our Discontent. Does anyone know if these have ingredients in common?

 

 

Heya!

 

I have a reaction to Candy Butcher, too, but only on my cleavage. On my neck or wrists, it's fine, but if I put in my cleavage, it turns FLAMING red and itchy. (attractive!). I also have this problem with Pumpkin Patch III, which has white chocolate in it, so perhaps there is something irritating about chocolate or cocoa. Hmmm....

[policyoftruth]

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask, but does anyone else's nose sting when sniffing Skuld? I think it's the labdanum, because I have no issues with the ylang ylang, honey or musk.

 

It makes my nose feel as if every pore is closing up, and that makes me sad

[Silvertree]

Like the insides of your elbows, the skin at your cleavage area tends to be more sensitive/delicate. I've definitely felt the burn from oils in my decolletage, where the same fragrance won't trouble my wrists.

[teacake]

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask, but does anyone else's nose sting when sniffing Skuld? I think it's the labdanum, because I have no issues with the ylang ylang, honey or musk.

 

It makes my nose feel as if every pore is closing up, and that makes me sad

 

I wish MY pores would all close. I got a frimp of Skuld in my LNM order. Perhaps I will apply it accordingly..

[Nia]

Few BPALs give me a sinus headache, and they don't seem to have a lot in common.

 

I detect a very similar, sinus-attacking note in:

 

Jack and Vampire Tears.

 

And pain, but not necessarily from the same note, in:

 

Panacea: Succor.

 

Odin.

 

Sophia.

 

Tristran.

 

Do any of these have anything in common that I should avoid in the future?

[naeelah]

[snip] Oops, I misremembered what was in Jack. Sometimes nutmeg or clove bother people, so perhaps one of those is the culprit. Otherwise, Jack and Vampire Tears don't visibly have anything in common, as you can see by the note descriptions. Vampire Tears does contain ginger, and ginger can cause sensitivities for some people. It also contains several florals, which are definite suspects.

 

To see if the others have anything in common, just search for the names in the catalog and compare the note descriptions. It's entirely possible you have multiple sensitivities.

 

As another option, it might be a good idea to e-mail the lab and ask them if there's anything in common. They know what really is in those blends, so they might be able to help you better.

Edited November 23, 2007 by naeelah

[strangemodegirl]

Posting here because I'm a bit baffled about my sandalwood headaches...

 

I get headaches often from sandalwood blends, but it seems to only happen with products where the sandalwood has a soft, perfumey, almost incensey quality (Underpants, Hymn to Proserpine, B&BW Sensual Amber, and pretty much every sandalwood-scented incense stick i've ever smelled).

 

There are other oils where the sandalwood smells more like a chunk of wood (Anne Bonny, Fenris Wolf), and these never seem to bother me. Are these two different types of sandalwood maybe? Or is it a matter of how it interacts with other components?

 

I also don't get headaches from blends where I never actually smell the sandalwood (Brides of Dracula, Pannychis), so I try not to rule out trying oils just based on that note--because if I amp something else to the exclusion of the 'wood, or if it's the "woody" sandalwood and not the golden glowy kind, then it's no issue at all.

 

I know that there are different types of sandalwood from different regions. here is a little bit of info.

 

Don't know if this helps you at all though!

[Mehitobel]

I knew I was allergic to cassia (after a bad, bad, stupid experience adding cassia essential to bathwater a few years ago...) but learned this morning that the cinnamon in El Dia de Reyes causes a reaction. I've worn it frequently this past month, but yesterday my second bottle arrived and I celebrated with a ludicrously decadent pre-bedtime slather.

 

In normal doses, I was fine. This morning I woke up with a blistering rash on my wrists.

 

Lesson learned for me - leetle dabs of Dia will do me (or I can glop it on my dreads or in my scent locket if glop I must.) Heads-up for other cassia/cinnamon sensitives.

[vultureguy]

I know this is about 3 years out of date but I came to read over the thread because this is what happened to me today. I love Satyr and have worn it a few times. I've had a mild tingle before but today after my shower I could see exactly where I'd applied it because I had red itchy welts. They've gone away and I'm going to try another application shortly to see if it happens again or if it was open shower pores.

 

 

Really hoping for the open pores. I love Satyr and want to pick up a 5ml.

 

Thank you for the hope!

 

For those of you who have an oil that doesn't burn one day, but then burns the next...

Are you applying the oil right after getting out of a hot shower? Open pores could be an issue.

Just a thought.

[Gwydion]

Does anyone know what's in Osun/ It made my skin burn and gave me a rash.

[Elilara]

So far, I have had 3 blends disagree with my skin (read: burning pain):

Saw Scaled Viper (Immediate pain and redness)

TAL: Hand of Hermes (Pain and redness after about 5 minutes)

Snake Charmer - after about an hour of wearing it, both of my wrists suddenly started stinging badly. I'm assuming it is something in the "exotic spices". I might try this one again though, as I've not spotted any other reports as such, so I'm not sure if the concentration of spices would be enough to cause this reaction. (Though, I'll admit I was slightly relieved to find out this one won't work for me! )

Cinnamon is pretty clearly the cause in Viper, and I'm sure there is a spice in HoH that causes it.

Edited January 1, 2008 by Elilara

[Skirt]

Lightning gives my boyfriend and I both immense headaches and nausea, and Ave Maria Gratia Plena makes me itch a lot. No fun.

[hackess]

Lightning gives my boyfriend and I both immense headaches and nausea, and Ave Maria Gratia Plena makes me itch a lot. No fun.

 

Yike. Do other ozone scents provoke the same reaction?

[velvetedge]

been lucky that none have given me skin irritation or headaches, though i think certain blends will give me a case of the sneezes and sniffles for about the first hour or so after application. luckily the effect dies down after that.

[willowtreeling]

shub makes my skin burn baby burn...and turn red. I think Coral Snake might have made me a bit red, but that might ahve just been the swab scraping my lily white skin;)

Edited January 12, 2008 by willowtreeling

[khiseer]

I have started reacting to some of my BPAL lately... I have a dermatis on my hand that comes from sentitising to beer form working in a pub.. But now random things make it worse even if i don't get it on the skin near my hand. Perilous Parlor is my first confirmed so it has to go...

[Seajewel]

my interesting experience with allergies/contact dermatitis to BPAL:

 

so I used to use a bunch of BPAL without problems, then I used Chimera a couple days in a row, and it ruined my skin. after the second application, i realized there were welts on my skin. I washed Chimera off.

 

After that, things i had used with no problem, such as Chaste Moon, Buck Moon started giving me rashes, as did virtually everything i tested afterwards, such as Elegba, anthelion, pretty much 80%+ of everything I tested after that. Some things never did end up giving me a rash, like Antique Lace and Morocco. Some things, like Snake Charmer, only started to give me rashes after I used them for a long time. It happened on my left wrist.. then after abusing (and by abuse, i mean using a drop or two at a time) my right wrist gave in and started reacting.

 

After this, i used Snake Charmer diluted. and then for more than a year, I put BPAL away because of all my horrific reactions (itching, swelling, welts to EVERTHING, pretty much) and only recently picked it up again.

 

I can use Snake Charmer, and Smut, and Minotaur, and all things I thought I wouldn't be able to, without any problem. Yet. So my skin has recovered.

 

I want to use Chimera, but i'm wary, and if i ever do , it'll be in heavily diluted form.

 

Weird experience, huh?

[terrenity]

Just wanted to post as someone with nut allergies who is amassing a little box of BPAL's. I'm severely allergic to peanuts (read, life-threatening) and also allergic to almonds (including sweet almond oil). I have had skin reactions before to almond oil (damn Nair!) but they have not been serious, so my approach so far has been to scan descriptions and reviews for almond notes before trying a scent and otherwise hoping for the best. I am happy to report that I have had no problems so far, and thought I'd post of list of the oils that seem to be almond- and peanut-free in my experience:

 

Sundew

Mata Hari

Lick It One More Time

Snow White

Kitsune Tsuki

Amsterdam

Lurid

Vampire Kiss

Szepasszony

Wanton

Baghdad

Snake Oil

 

I wonder if it would be possible to start a separate thread for people with known food allergies, as opposed to contact dermatitis/headaches/etc? That would make it a lot easier for people with serious and known allergies to find one another and provide info. Maybe we could compile a database of sorts so allergic people don't have to bug the lab as much for ingredient info?

 

Edit: Forgot something.

Edited January 18, 2008 by terrenity

[Mehitobel]

I'm baffled, because today I wore Tisiphone (one of my regular daily scents) and lo, my right wrist is now blister city. It's my right wrist that blistered with El Dia, too. There are no cinnamon/cassia notes listed for Tisiphone, and I know from pre-BPAL run-ins with cassia that I react badly to it.

 

I refuse to stop wearing this scent. I guess from now on, I'll be sure to slick some grapeseed on my wrist before using it.

 

And why is it just the RIGHT wrist? Hmph.

[ymmat]

Just wanted to post as someone with nut allergies who is amassing a little box of BPAL's. I'm severely allergic to peanuts (read, life-threatening) and also allergic to almonds (including sweet almond oil). I have had skin reactions before to almond oil (damn Nair!) but they have not been serious, so my approach so far has been to scan descriptions and reviews for almond notes before trying a scent and otherwise hoping for the best. I am happy to report that I have had no problems so far, and thought I'd post of list of the oils that seem to be almond- and peanut-free in my experience:

 

Sundew

Mata Hari

Lick It One More Time

Snow White

Kitsune Tsuki

Amsterdam

Lurid

Vampire Kiss

Szepasszony

Wanton

Baghdad

Snake Oil

 

I wonder if it would be possible to start a separate thread for people with known food allergies, as opposed to contact dermatitis/headaches/etc? That would make it a lot easier for people with serious and known allergies to find one another and provide info. Maybe we could compile a database of sorts so allergic people don't have to bug the lab as much for ingredient info?

 

Edit: Forgot something.

 

I'm also allergic to peanuts (of the 'end up in hospital/can't breathe/might die if I eat them' variety) and almonds (rash and similar unpleasantness from using almond oil or other derivatives on my skin). I haven't tried very many scents yet, but of the few I've sampled, I've noticed a few that my skin didn't particularly like. Sadly, it hadn't even occurred to me that I might run into peanut oil. I've tried to avoid the almonds though.

 

It would be useful to have a thread or a database of some sort for those of us who are trying to avoid hospital trips.

[ivyandpeony]

...

Another general thing I thought I should mention - I have noticed more posts lately where people are mentioning severe allergies to certain ingredients, the type that trigger much more dangerous reactions than a mild rash or burning sensation.If you have such an allergy, please do not rely on anecdotal advice from other forum members to protect yourself. The only way you can ascertain whether a blend actually contains an allergen is to ask the Lab directly, by e-mailing them at answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

 

They aren't going to be able to send you a list of all the ingredients for every perfume they've ever sold, of course... You should be able to eliminate some blends by using the search engine on the Lab's website and submit a list to them of some oils you are interested in but suspect could contain the evil allergen. And keep in mind that like so many food products, the Lab's products are all made in the same environment and with the same equipment, so there's a chance that a trace allergen can be found in any product... just sayin'.

 

I'm quoting myself from some months back just to make a point - I think that if you truly have a life-threatening, potential- anaphlytic-shock-inducing allergy to an ingredient that may be present in one of these perfumes, you need to tread with extreme caution here. Some dermatitis is one thing, a hospital stay or death is another.

 

For starters, I feel pretty confident that the Lab would be unable to guarantee that cross contamination will never occur - they use the same finite amount of equipment to fill bottles (and imps) with everything from their catalog and LE offerings (I don't think anyone could expect a company to have a separate machine for each of 500+ perfumes). It's cleaned to eliminate the scent of the previous oil before they begin filling bottles with another one - but it's impossible to ensure that every molecule from a previous oil is removed. So while a scent formula may contain none of your known allergens, the pristine bottle of that scent that arrives from the Lab could potentially contain allergens nonetheless, just as foods with no nut ingredients can contain nut particles or residue due to shared factory equipment. I would think very long and hard about whether that risk is worth it to me. It's not your fault and it's not the Lab's fault, it's just the situation.

 

And although a list seems like a good idea, if it is a life and death question and not a "will I break out" question, I believe that I would want to hear from the Lab directly and not rely on what someone else tells me the Lab told them or what someone else says they can wear safely.

 

I will try to bring these issues to the attention of someone at the Lab and see if they have any comments - I'm not their lawyer or spokesperson, this isn't even my area of the forum from a mod standpoint - I just get the itchies a lot so I pop in this thread fairly regularly.