Gluten Free Makeup or Cosmetics in Trinidad and Tobago

When I started my gluten free diet, I avoided lipstick and lipgloss to avoid getting “glutened”. For most of this year, I’ve been using lip balm, the Blistex Simple and Sensitive. I bought the Blistex at the Starlite Pharmacy. It is hypoallergenic and very moisturizing.

There are natural lip gloss, lip tints and lip shimmers from brands such as Burt’s Bees and the Naked Bee in local stores. I’ve seen the Burt’s Bees Lip Gloss and Tinted Lip Balm and the Naked Bee’s Natural Lip Color in the Starlite Pharmacy. Of course I bought some to test out. They are not opaque so they all basically add a tint to your lips. The Naked Bee was a bit brighter in colour than the Burt’s Bees. I got the Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer and another Lip Gloss from Live Green on Ariapita Avenue. They have a larger collection of natural makeup. Burt’s Bees and Naked Bee makeup are not certified gluten free. One day, I’ll try to get gluten free certified makeup from one of these brands: Red Apple Lipstick, Afterglow Cosmetics and 100% Pure. There are Gluten Free cosmetic products available on Amazon as well.

According to Gluten Free RN’s Gluten Free Cosmetic article, there are cosmetics with gluten in them and it is best to avoid them in case of accidental ingestion. Here is a list of common gluten ingredients found in beauty products:

• 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
• Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Flour
• 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

Be careful when using some cosmetic brands because not all of them put the gluten ingredients in their products’ ingredient list. Read this article, “Risky Business: Most Cosmetics Don’t Specify Gluten in Ingredient List” to learn more about this.