Happy Holidays!
Each day I review nutfreemomblog statistics, and 9 times out of 10, someone has clicked or google searched my “Moroccan Oil” article about my daughter and her reaction to the Moroccan Oil hairspray last year. Today, I decided to do some investigating because I felt like my last write up was just a rant and did not prove to be useful.
This morning at 9am CST, I called Moroccan Oil corporate and talked with customer service. I asked the woman why Moroccan oil did not contain an allergy statement on their hair spray products, specifically stating “this product is derived from a tree nut.”
She said, “People with nut allergies should not be allergic to Moroccan oil products since it’s derived from a seed, not a nut.”
I continued to point out that their very own website states that:

Argan trees grow and tenaciously survive in semi-desert areas of the Mediterranean. The deep roots and small leaves of the argan tree allow it to resist arid winds and water loss, resulting in a nut with a unique oil profile.
Pure argan oil is a rare and precious oil that is harvested and extracted from the nut of the argan tree. For centuries, women across the Mediterranean have used argan oil in their beauty regimen for vibrant, healthy-looking skin and hair.

I asked again why there is no warning since most people do not know that an Argan Tree is a nut producing tree in the Mediterranean. With 35% of consumers having a nut allergy, I think it’s fair to say that people should at least be warned what is inside the products they are using and the reaction that could happen.  Aveda does this for consumers, why can’t Moroccan Oil?
The customer service person also told me that all allergy information is listed on the back of the bottles of their products. I disagreed. Unknown (non-layman) names of ingredients and chemicals are listed, but does not specifically list out Almond, Argon Nut, etc.
What I do know is that my nut allergic daughter had a specific reaction to this product. Our home is allergy free for her, and when I sprayed her hair for her 6th birthday with perfect ringlets last January, she broke out in a rash around her mouth, neck and cheeks. After washing her hair, he rash and redness went away. Direct correlation.
This product caused her to have a reaction and I wonder if others are having the same reaction or wondering if they are allergic to this product, thus the number of hits my specific blog post has been receiving. There is no other information available for this product.
These types of cosmetics are not FDA Approved, either.

The law does not require cosmetic products and ingredients, other than color additives, to have FDA approval before they go on the market, but there are laws and regulations that apply to cosmetics on the market in interstate commerce.

The two most important laws pertaining to cosmetics marketed in the United States are the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). FDA regulates cosmetics under the authority of these laws.

In the United States, federal laws are enacted by Congress. In order to make the laws work on a day-to-day level, Congress authorizes certain government agencies. such as FDA, to create regulations. A change in FDA’s legal authority over cosmetics would require Congress to change the law.

The FDA does not approve labeling either. Click the link below to see what the FDA does NOT do for the cosmetic industry.
Does FDA pre-approve cosmetic product labeling?
No. FDA does not have the resources or authority under the law for pre-market approval of cosmetic product labeling. It is the manufacturer’s and/or distributor’s responsibility to ensure that products are labeled properly. Failure to comply with labeling requirements may result in a misbranded product.
I’m working on sending an email to show how many hits my blog has received from readers looking for more information on the allergies in the Moroccan Oil hair products. Once I receive a response, I will post it here, with a link from the home page.
Thanks for stopping by. And for the record, I really do like Moroccan Oil hair products. I think they do great things and the smell is incredible. We just cant use them, and I want them to add an allergy statement to their products so people with allergies can make informed decisions.