Essential oils can cause dermatitis, hives and skin rashes

When Kristen Fanarakis came out of a facial at a natural beauty salon in Atlanta, USA, her face didn’t have the fresh glow she expected to see.

“It felt like my skin was falling off,” she said. For Kristen, the result after the procedure was more like a Fraxel laser treatment, which can leave a patient with red, flaky skin for days. “I was looking like a Frankenstein.”

It was not a normal reaction for the 44-year-old who is the founder of a clothing brand. Kristen has what she describes as “strong Greek skin” that’s able to withstand regular chemical peels and frequent retinol use. But it looks like her skin couldn’t withstand the papaya and pumpkin essential oils used in the treatment.

“Skin care is a science,” she commented. “Assuming that something called ‘natural’ is better is risky. There is no shortage of compounds in nature that harm us.”

Dermatologist Annie Gonzalez in Miami has been seeing an increase in negative reactions to essential oils, which she described as a major cause of allergic contact dermatitis. According to her, the situation worsened during the pandemic because people isolated at home began to experiment using essential oils as home remedies.

“It’s getting more problematic because people are using undiluted forms of these oils to make their own products,” the dermatologist said.

But lab-made products can be just as problematic.

Last February, Gabrielle Puig, 21, a student at George Washington University, decided to test out the Jet Lag mask from Summer Fridays, a much-praised brand of skincare products promoted by influencer Mariana Hewitt, to hydrate her dry skin. Within minutes of applying the mask her face began to burn and tingle in a way that seemed counterproductive.

“I took off the mask right away,” Puig said. “My skin was even more red and irritated than before.” After reading the ingredients list, she concluded that the culprits were peppermint and citrus oils.

In January, after receiving a series of negative reviews that mentioned rashes and hives as side effects, Summer Fridays posted an apology to its customers.

The company attributed the reactions to the fact that a batch of the product had been compromised by a third-party manufacturer, but said it would look to strip essential oils from its products, “to mitigate any future potential for irritation.”

Why essential oils are so risky

To understand why essential oils can be risky for your skin, it’s helpful to know what they are and what they aren’t. Extracted from flowers, barks, stems, leaves, roots and selected fruits through distillation or cold pressing, essential oils are highly concentrated chemical components that contain the essence or aroma of a plant.

“It takes a lot of plant material to process the oils, so they often have much higher concentrations of active ingredients than we’re used to,” explained Los Angeles-based cosmetology chemist David Petrillo. They are much more concentrated than popular oils like coconut or argan, for example. These are seen as “vector” oils that are milder and are often used to dilute stronger essential oils.

While it is possible to experience an allergic reaction to any essential oil, some are known to carry greater risks than others.

Citrus oils, including those of lemon, orange and bergamot, are especially dangerous because they can be phototoxic — that is, they react to ultraviolet light and can cause skin burns and blisters. Cinnamon bark, clove, lemongrass, oregano, peppermint and jasmine oils are also known to cause irritation.

But the essential oil that wreaks havoc most often is also one of the most recommended by naturopaths and natural skin care enthusiasts.

“The riskiest of all is tea tree oil [em inglês, tea tree oil]“, said Gonzalez. “I get countless acne or fungal patients who strongly believe that tea tree oil is a miracle cure for just about everything.”

Patients who use too much undiluted tea tree oil purchased from pharmacies for face masks or to treat pimples end up worsening the skin condition and developing ringworm, a fungal infection that is masked and often exacerbated by the application of a topical agent.

“It makes it even harder for me to diagnose the main problem, and it makes it harder to solve, because now you have to repair the skin barrier that has been compromised by using these oils,” said Gonzalez.

How to experiment with clean beauty without risks

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to essential oils, and completely eradicating them from your life doesn’t seem like the most appropriate answer. “Most of what we use in the beauty industry is actually in a gray area: some people can use it without a problem and some people can’t,” said Gonzalez. “I tell patients it really depends on the dosage, concentration and source.”

Experts recommend that people look for diluted concentrations of 0.5% to 1% or less, preferably mixed with a less reactive carrier oil like argan or coconut. As many brands don’t report concentrations, just perform a simple smell test: if it’s too fragrant, it’s more likely to irritate your skin.

For Gonzalez, the safest thing is to do a patch test on the inside of the arm and let it rest for 48 hours, without washing, to see how your skin reacts. People with pre-existing skin conditions like psoriasis, rosacea or eczema should be especially cautious.

Translation by Clara Allain