If all else fail, check your laundry detergent says skincare expert and Oxwhite.
You have changed your diet. You have switched to gentler bath and skincare products. So why do you still get that red itchy rash near your pits and waistband? In fact, the rash seems to be spreading to a wider area.
According to Dr Chong Wai Seng from Ko Skin Specialist, this indicates that you may still be exposed to certain allergens that your skin does not like. “Sometimes these allergens may present in laundry detergent and traces of the detergent may still linger on your clothes after rinsing.
“Allergies and sensitivities to detergents can develop the first time you are exposed to the allergens or after repeated exposures,” said Chong adding that ingredients such as sodium laureth sulphate (SLS), paraben, triclosan and methylisothiazolinone are among commonly known irritants that are used in laundry detergents.
These ingredients are common surfactants. Traces of these ingredients left on clothes may trigger a rash.
“Especially on those with a history of atopic dermatitis or compromised skin barrier from the increased washing and bathing during this pandemic season,” he said.
Chong added that if one still breaks out in rashes after they have changed their diet and personal care products, one may want to relook at the ingredients in their laundry detergent and switch to gentler types or simply rinse their laundry with clean water many times over while avoiding direct contact to these irritants.
Laundry liquid that is skin and pocket friendly
On making laundry detergents using milder ingredients, Oxwhite founder CK Chang said it is possible. “However, the cost to produce is at least 10 times higher,” he said adding that usually when production cost is high, the selling price will be higher.
SLS, Chang said, is a cheap ingredient that is effective in lifting soil and grease. Paraben and methylisothiazolinone are preservatives to prevent the growth of microbes in order to prolong the product’s lifespan while triclosan is a disinfectant. Overexposure to these ingredients may be harsh on the skin.
“In producing gentler laundry detergents, one has to make sure that the alternative ingredients can be as effective at cleaning and as long-lasting as the conventional counterparts.
“At Oxwhite, we have eliminated the use of commonly known ingredients and are using gentler plant-derived substitutes such as decyl glucoside (natural surfactant), tea tree oil (a natural disinfectant) and sodium benzoate (natural preservative) right from the start,” Chang said.
Although the production cost is high, Oxwhite had managed to keep the selling price as close as possible to commercially available laundry detergents by selling the detergents online and on its Official Store on Shopee.
“A traditional business model where products go from factories to distributors, retailers and sub retailers, any small increase in production cost will have a significant impact on the product’s retail price, that’s unavoidable.
“Traditionally, an increase of RM1 in production costs can potentially create a markup of up to RM20 in the price tag, because it’s being channelled through multiple hands, and each channel needs to have a healthy margin built-in. Oxwhite avoids this by selling direct to consumers – no multiple layers for markups to happen in the process,” Chang added.