SHAMPOO REACTIONS - WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
Although there are a number of things that can go wrong in the tub, there are two distinct types of problems that can occur with pet grooming products: contact dermatitis and allergic reaction.
CONTACT DERMATITIS occurs when an ingredient in a product causes a skin irritation. Some of the detergents used in shampoos are rather harsh and can easily irritate tender skin, especially skin that has been roughed up a bit by clipping or heavy brushing prior to the bath, or if the products are left on too long or not rinsed off thoroughly. It is possible that what appears later to be a clipper abrasion is actually a shampoo irritation on an area that was clipped prior to application of the shampoo. Contact dermatitis also occurs around the sensitive areas, such as the genitals. This helps to explain those incidents where the groomer does not notice any clipper damage when clipping the dog prior to the bath, but later the owner complains that there is a clear problem.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS) is the shampoo ingredient that is most likely to cause irritation. This is not to be confused with the milder cousin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), which has some potential for irritation, but not nearly as much as SLS. SLS has been linked to eczema. It once was the most widely used detergent surfactant in human personal care products, but has been replaced by Sodium LaurETH Sulfate in many formulas. SLS is especially likely to cause irritation where it remains in contact with the skin for over five minutes, such as in bubble bath products for humans, or dog baths of long duration. It is still often used in many pet products, especially where extra cleaning or degreasing is desired. It is also found in cheap products, as it is a very inexpensive ingredient that does not require additional ingredients for foam boosting. It’s a great cleaner, an excellent degreaser (used for many industrial applications) and has super foaming ability. And it’s cheap. But it’s very harsh and is best formulated with other co-surfactants that reduce the irritation factor.
Other ingredients that are commonly found in pet grooming products that have been linked to dermatitis include:
2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (a preservative)
Benzyl Alcohol (preservative)
Cetearyl Alcohol (conditioning ingredient)
Coal Tar (anti-dandruff ingredient)
Cocamide DEA (foam booster and foam stabilizer)
Cocamidopropyl Betaine (foam booster, mild cleanser)
DMDM Hydantoin (preservative)
Imidazolidinyl Urea (preservative)
Lanolin and Lanolin derivatives (emollient)
Propylene Glycol (humectant)
Sorbitan Palmitate (emulsifier)
Stearyl Alcohol (conditioner ingredient)
Tocopherol (Vitamin E) (ed.note- who would have thought?)
From Cosmetics Unmasked, Dr. Stephen & Gina Antczak, 2001, pg. 163
Colorants are found in nearly all products and can be a source of irritation. There are colorants used in animal products, especially blue and violets, that have restricted use in human products. Be careful of whiteners with blue or purple colorants and don’t use them around the eyes or genitals. Some whitening shampoos for pets have a double risk of irritation - they use harsher surfactants to lift the hair cuticle and get out deposited dirt, and they use dark blue colorants which also can irritate. This makes them very effective whiteners and also potential irritants. My advice in using these products is to bathe the white dog in a regular shampoo first and then apply the blue/white avoiding sensitive areas of tummy, genitals and eyes. If a dog has any history of allergies or skin sensitivity, most blue colored whiteners are best avoided.
ALLERGIC REACTIONS are another problem, and occur when the pet develops an allergic response to a product ingredient. This can range from an itchiness that develops after the pet goes home, to an all out hives reaction in the salon. Just as with other types of allergies, the body’s immune system is triggered into action by a substance that does not normally affect most other pets. The allergic reaction may appear the second time an animal is exposed to the substance or after many exposures. This accounts for those situations where the pet owner complains of a shampoo reaction and the groomer thinks, “But I’ve been using this product on this dog for several baths.” It does NOT mean that the customer is wrong, it can mean that the dog has become sensitized to something in the product but it has taken several or many exposures for a noticeable allergic reaction to occur.
A substance that is more likely to trigger such a response is called a “sensitizer.” The list of shampoo and conditioner ingredients that might be sensitizers for allergic responses in pets is unfortunately quite long and includes ingredients that are found in a majority of our products.
Cetyl Alcohol - Probably the most commonly found conditioner ingredient found in our pet conditioner products, this emollient and emulsion stabilizer is noted in the Winter Dictionary as “can cause hives,” and Cosmetics Unmasked warns it “may cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.” Fortunately, reactions to this ingredient are quite rare.
Fragrances - the essential oils and fragrance oils that make up fragrances are extremely complex chemically and there are many chemical constiuents that may be sensitizers. Fragrances for pet products is a huge trend right now, and the more heavily fragranced the products, the more of a potential for a sensitivity reaction. Layering of fragrance by means of a shampoo, the conditioner, AND a spritz of cologne can also trigger a reaction if there is a single common chemical constituent in all three products to which a pet becomes sensitized. This is not to say that you should not use fragrant products, but you need to be aware of this potential problem. Reactions to fragrances is not uncommon.
Lanolin - A product of the oil glands of sheep, this ingredient is a natural emulsifier and moisturizer that was hugely popular as a skin care ingredient through the 1980’s. It was problematic for many individuals and was determined to be a common skin sensitizer. (Winter Dictionary p. 319), and has largely disappeared from the human personal care product marketplace. It remains to be found in some pet products, however, as a conditioning ingredient.
Petrolatum - an effective and very inexpensive emollient found in some conditioners. It is an effective moisturizer and protects the skin, but causes some allergic reactions in hypersensitive individuals. (Winter Dictionary p.397) If a conditioner is thick and waxy (melts when heated), it is likely to contain petrolatum. Yes, this is the same as vaseline.
Proteins, biologicals, botanicals - Many naturally derived ingredients from plant and animal products may actually be more likely to be sensitizers than synthetic, chemically derived ingredients. D-Limonene is a naturally derived oil from citrus that is used for degreasing and flea control that can be both very irritating and a potent sensitizer. It is also toxic to cats. Coconut oil, aka cocos nucifera, may cause irritation or allergic reaction in some individuals. (Cosmetics Unmasked, p. 323) Many plant extracts, proteins, and biological ingredients are found in such minute amounts in a formula that they rarely cause problems by themselves. The larger concern may be that the more live, natural, ingredients have more danger of degradation and contamination in the product and require the formulator to use more preservatives. The preservatives are among the most problematic ingredients, being highly irritating, and potentially dangerous. While we might prefer to avoid these problematic preservatives, the experts agree that the consequences of product contamination are a far greater risk than the dangers of these chemicals.
Triethanolamine (TEA) - Used for pH control and as an emulsifier in some lotions and creams, TEA is noted by Cosmetics Unmasked as “Harmful. Can cause severe facial dermatitis and contact dermatitis.” (p.390). The Winter Dictionary names it as a sensitizer and states, “It has been found, in tests in Italy at the Unviersity of Bologna, to be the most frequent sensitizer among the common emulsifiers used in cosmetics.” (p.524). TEA by itself is not found in many pet shampoos or conditioners. TEA lauryl sulfate is a detergent surfactant found in some shampoos as a primary or secondary surfactant and, while it can cause some irritation in sensitive animals, it is not to be confused with uncompounded TEA by itself.
Here are some other ingredients found in pet products that are listed in Cosmetics Unmasked as linked to allergic reactions:
1-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (preservative)
Cocamide DEA (foam booster and foam stabilizer)
Cocamide MEA (foam booster & stabilizer)
Cocamide MIPA (emulsifier)
Coconut oil (emollient)
Glyceryl Stearate (emulsifier)
Isopropanolamine (preservative)
Methylchloroisothiasolinone & methylisothiasolinone (preservatives)
Propylene Glycol (emollient)
Stearyl Alcohol (conditioner ingredient)
What are we to make of all this? First of all, we need to firmly establish that contact irritations and allergic reactions CAN HAPPEN as a result of the products that we use.There are potentially irritating or sensitizing ingredients in many, if not almost all, products. There are going to be some animals that will have reactions and there are going to be some products that cause problems more than once. Some groomers are in such denial about this reality that they will go through extreme maneuvers to blame the dog, the owner, or the owner’s home or yard for post-grooming problems that may simply be product reactions. I’ve seen it in writing on the Internet: “The dog was fine when he left my salon, he must have rolled in something in the yard to which he was allergic.” “Maybe the dog encountered fleas in the home.” “This owner is suspicious of everything, she must be imagining things.” “The dog is a sensitive mess.” “It could not possibly be my shampoo. I’ve used it on hundreds of dogs without a problem.” If the owner complains that a pet was itching and uncomfortable after grooming, the chances are more likely than not that there was a product reaction.
How to tell the difference - a product irritation, or contact dermatitis, is likely to show up quickly, shortly after grooming, and is usually localized in certain sensitive areas such as tummy, genitals, “armpits”, or where close clipping has occured. Allergic reactions can be rapid or slow in developing maybe not becoming visible until several hours after grooming. They are usually widespread, with itchiness and rash over larger areas.
What about hypoallergenic shampoo? Although products labeled “hypoallergenic” are probably less likely to cause problems, the bad news is that there is no agreed upon criteria of what constitutes “hypoallergenic”. Usually these products contain milder surfactants, little or no colorant, and less fragrance than a manufacturer’s regular line. The same is true of most “tearless” products. The down side is that they often don’t perform as well. I have yet to find an exciting, state-of-the-art hypoallergenic shampoo and conditioner, usually they are just products with some ingredients left out. Furthermore, there is absolutely no guarantee that even ingredients with great track records won’t find an individual which is sensitive.
We need to know ingredients! It certainly might help if groomers could know more about what ingredients are in their products. I’ve heard groomers complain that they have used four or five different shampoos on a sensitive dog and still had complaints of itching after the grooming. For all that groomer knows, there might be a common ingredient in all those products. OR, she/he might be using the same conditioner, perhaps one that contains lanolin. How are we to know? In our current state, fewer than 5 percent of our professional grooming products list ingredients on the label and maybe 10 percent of manufacturers share ingredient information when asked. Mostly we are in the dark, guessing about product ingredients. And if we are in denial about product reactions and don’t take our customers seriously when they complain, we may never put it together when a product is problematic.
References:
Cosmetics Unmasked, Dr. Stephen & Gina Antczak, 2001, Thorsons (U.K.)
A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, Ruth Winter, MS, Sixth Ed. 2005, Three Rivers Press.
Skin Diseases of Dogs and Cats, Dr. Steven A. Melman, DermaPet, 1994.
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