Cross-Contamination 4 min read

The Lipstick Question

Can gluten in cosmetics harm you? What the science says about skin contact and celiac disease.

By Taylor Clark |

Does the gluten in your lipstick matter? What about your shampoo, lotion, or makeup?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions in the celiac community. Here’s what we actually know.

The Basic Science

How Celiac Damage Happens

Celiac disease requires:

  1. Gluten to be eaten (ingested)
  2. Gluten to reach the small intestine
  3. Immune response to trigger

Key point: Celiac is an intestinal disease. Gluten must be ingested to cause damage.

Skin Absorption

For most cosmetics:

  • Large gluten proteins don’t penetrate intact skin
  • Absorption through skin to bloodstream to intestine isn’t the concern
  • The concern is: could you accidentally ingest it?

What Actually Matters

Products You Might Ingest

Lipstick and lip products:

  • You do ingest some of what’s on your lips
  • Licking, eating, kissing, all involve potential ingestion
  • This is the one category where gluten in cosmetics arguably matters

Lip balm:

  • Same issue, you may ingest it

Toothpaste and mouthwash:

  • You might swallow some
  • Most are GF anyway
  • Worth checking if you’re concerned

Products You Don’t Ingest

Skin lotions:

  • Applied to skin, not eaten
  • Don’t need to be GF unless you’re concerned about hand-to-mouth transfer

Shampoo and conditioner:

  • Rinsed off, not ingested
  • Gluten won’t damage you through your scalp

Makeup (not lips):

  • Foundation, eye makeup, etc.
  • Not ingested
  • Doesn’t need to be GF

The Debate

Some Say: Avoid All Gluten in Personal Products

Reasoning:

  • Better safe than sorry
  • Hand-to-mouth transfer could happen
  • Why risk it?

Others Say: Only Worry About Lip Products

Reasoning:

  • Only ingestion matters
  • Avoiding all gluten cosmetics is unnecessary
  • Resources better spent on food vigilance

The Science Says

Currently, there’s no evidence that gluten in cosmetics (other than lip products) causes celiac damage. The celiac response requires intestinal exposure.

Practical Guidance

High Priority: Lip Products

Worth checking for GF:

  • Lipstick
  • Lip gloss
  • Lip balm
  • Lip liner

Many brands now make GF lip products. It’s increasingly easy to find them.

Medium Priority: Hand Products

If you’re very careful:

  • Hand lotions (if you touch food after)
  • Could be addressed by handwashing instead

Low Priority: Everything Else

Generally unnecessary to verify GF:

  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Body lotion
  • Face products (not lips)
  • Nail polish

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Important exception: If you have dermatitis herpetiformis (the skin manifestation of celiac), gluten contact with skin may trigger skin lesions.

For DH:

  • Avoiding topical gluten may make sense
  • Discuss with your dermatologist
  • The damage mechanism is different from intestinal celiac

What’s in Products Anyway?

Ingredients that contain gluten:

  • Wheat germ oil
  • Hydrolyzed wheat protein
  • Barley extract
  • Oat extracts (unless specified GF oats)
  • Triticum vulgare (wheat)
  • Avena sativa (oats)

Reality Check

Many products with these ingredients have:

  • Minimal gluten protein
  • Processed forms unlikely to trigger response
  • But if you want to avoid them in lip products, that’s reasonable

Finding GF Cosmetics

Brands That Market as GF

Many brands now offer GF lines:

  • Red Apple Lipstick (GF focus)
  • Gabriel Cosmetics
  • Ecco Bella
  • Many others

Search “[product type] gluten free” for current options.

Major Brands

Some mainstream brands have GF options or can provide ingredient information. Check their websites or contact them.

The Bottom Line

Definitely Matters

  • Lip products (lipstick, balm, gloss)
  • Anything else that might be ingested

Probably Doesn’t Matter

  • Products that stay on skin and are not ingested
  • Shampoo, lotion, makeup (except lips)

If You Have DH

  • May need to avoid topical gluten more broadly
  • Work with your dermatologist

My Approach

I use GF lip products because it’s easy and why not. I don’t worry about my shampoo or body lotion. Handwashing before eating addresses hand product concerns.

This feels balanced, addressing real risk without excessive anxiety about negligible risk.

A Note on Anxiety

If avoiding all gluten in all products gives you peace of mind, do it. Mental health matters.

But if it feels overwhelming, know that the science doesn’t support significant risk from non-ingested cosmetics.

Focus your vigilance where it counts: what you eat. That’s where celiac damage happens.

cosmetics lipstick skin contact science