Nut Allergies and Skin Care: What You Need to Know

Choosing skin care products when you have a nut allergy can feel a little overwhelming, especially because the FDA does not regulate allergen labeling on cosmetics like it does for food products. This means that it is largely up to you as the consumer to decipher skin care ingredient labels to determine if a particular product is nut-free.

In this guide, we help you navigate the basics of skin care and nut allergies, including which ingredients to avoid, which to be cautious of, and how to tell if a product might contain nuts or nut-derived ingredients.

Generally speaking, nut allergies occur when your immune system has a hypersensitive reaction to certain proteins found in nuts. However, the term “nut allergy” is broad and can mean a few different things. Before getting into the details of which ingredients to avoid and which might be okay, it is important to understand the distinctions between different types of nut allergies.

• Tree nut allergy. Tree nut allergies produce a hyperactive immune response to proteins found in nuts that grow on trees. The most common tree nut allergies include walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan, cashew, and pistachio. While it is possible to be allergic to some types of tree nuts but not others, many people with a tree nut allergy will have a negative reaction to more than one type of tree nut. 
• Peanut allergy. Peanuts are technically a type of legume and are not nuts, so people with tree nut allergies can typically tolerate peanuts, unless they also have a separate peanut allergy.
• Seed allergy. Allergies to seeds like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, or flaxseed may sometimes overlap with nut or peanut allergies but are distinct in terms of triggers and reactions.

Each type has distinct allergenic proteins, and the immune response to one doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll react to the other. However, some people may have cross-reactivity between tree nuts, peanuts, and seeds. 

A food allergy doesn’t always translate to a topical allergy, but it can. For example, when you consume nuts, your immune system reacts to specific proteins. In topical products, the oils derived from nuts are often highly processed, removing many of these proteins. However, if the same protein that your immune system reacts to in food is still present in the topical product, it is possible to have a similar reaction when using a topical skin care product.

The severity and sensitivity of your allergy will also play a role in whether or not you may have a skin reaction to a certain ingredient. If you have a severe nut allergy, it is best to consult your doctor before using skin care products with nut-based ingredients. People with nut allergies may experience skin irritation, redness, rashes, or, in severe cases, other more serious signs of an allergic reaction when the skin is exposed to the allergen (3).

As explained above, not everyone who has a type of nut allergy will necessarily have an allergic reaction to every type of nut or seed. However, this list includes some of the most common skin care ingredients that are derived from nuts, nut oils, peanuts, or seeds.

Nuts and peanuts:

• Almond oil (Prunus amygdalus dulcis)

• Argan oil (Argania spinosa kernel oil)

• Macadamia oil (Macadamia ternifolia seed oil)

• Walnut oil (Juglans regia seed oil)

• Hazelnut oil (Corylus avellana seed oil)

• Brazil nut oil (Bertholletia excelsa seed oil)

• Pecan oil (Carya illinoinensis seed oil)

• Pistachio oil (Pistacia vera seed oil)

• Chestnut extract (Castanea sativa)

• Cashew oil (Anacardium occidentale seed oil)

• Kukui nut oil (Aleurites moluccanus seed oil)

• Peanut oil (Arachis hypogaea oil)

Seed oils:

• Sunflower seed oil (Helianthus annuus seed oil)

• Sesame seed oil (Sesamum indicum seed oil)

• Pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita pepo seed oil)

• Flaxseed oil (Linum usitatissimum seed oil)

• Chia seed oil (Salvia hispanica seed oil)

• Hemp seed oil (Cannabis sativa seed oil)

• Black seed oil (Nigella sativa seed oil)

• Baobab seed oil (Adansonia digitata seed oil)

• Grapeseed oil (Vitis vinifera seed oil)

• Meadowfoam seed oil (Limnanthes alba seed oil)

• Cranberry seed oil (Vaccinium macrocarpon seed oil)

• Raspberry seed oil (Rubus idaeus seed oil)

• Poppy seed oil (Papaver somniferum seed oil)

• Watermelon seed oil (Citrullus lanatus seed oil)

• Cucumber seed oil (Cucumis sativus seed oil)

Shea butter, shea oil, and other shea-derived ingredients do come from a type of tree nut called the shea nut, which is distantly related to the Brazil nut. However, allergies to shea butter and shea oil are extremely rare. In fact, there are no recorded cases of an allergic reaction to these ingredients as of this writing (4).

So what’s so different about shea butter? The shea nut naturally contains very trace amounts of the proteins that cause allergies in other tree nuts (5). Those trace amounts are then often removed entirely during processing. Because allergic reactions occur as triggers to certain proteins, small to no amounts of these proteins make shea a tolerable ingredient for most people, even those with nut allergies.

Coconut oil and derivatives are widely used in skin and hair care. Despite the term “nut” in its name, coconut is not a tree nut, and most people with tree nut allergies can tolerate it.

However, if you have a specific coconut allergy, you’ll need to avoid these products. Check labels carefully, as coconut derivatives can appear under various names. Some of the most common include:

• Coconut oil, or cocos nucifera oil

• Cocamidopropyl betaine

• Cocamide DEA

• Caprylic/capric triglyceride

• Coco-caprylate/caprate

• Sodium cocoate

Because allergens in cosmetics products are not regulated like they are in food products, you will have to do a little digging yourself to determine if a product contains nuts, peanuts, or seeds that you are allergic to. A few tips to follow:

• The first step is to look for known ingredients. If you know, for example, that you are allergic to almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, avoid products that list these ingredients or their derivatives on the label. Use the list above as a starting point.

• Familiarize yourself with other names that these ingredients might be listed as, such as their scientific names. Scientific names for each ingredient are listed in parentheses in the list above.

• Watch out for fragrances or fragrance mixes in skin care, as these can sometimes contain nut-derived ingredients. Contact the manufacturer for more information if you are unsure, as each fragrance ingredient is not required to be listed individually on skin care labels.

• If you have severe allergies, you also need to be careful about manufacturing, as some products may be manufactured in the same setting and with the same equipment as those that contain nuts. You may need to contact the company to find out if their products are manufactured in a nut-free environment or not. 

Nut-derived ingredients are popular in skin care because they are rich in fatty acids and antioxidants. However, there are other ingredients that do not contain nuts, peanuts, or seeds that can hydrate the skin and provide antioxidant benefits. A few include:

Although navigating skin care and nut allergies can add an extra step or two to the process of choosing new products, there are plenty of good-quality products out there that do not contain nuts, peanuts, or seeds. The first step is to do some research (like reading this guide!) and learn some of the top ingredient names to avoid on skin care labels, based on your specific allergy. Also get to know some of the top ingredients to include that are safe for your specific allergy.

If you are ever unsure, ask your dermatologist about new products before trying them. 

If you have a history of severe allergies, try new products on a small area of skin (Like the size of a pea) and wait 3 days to see if you get a reaction before using over large areas.  

Finally, make sure you are pairing nut-free skin care products with your skin type so you do not worsen redness, stinging, or other sensitive skin symptoms.

1. Baumann L. Antiaging Ingredients in Ch. 37 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
2. Baumann, L. Ch. Cosmeceuticals and cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)
3. Tan BM, Sher MR, Good RA, Bahna SL. Severe food allergies by skin contact. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2001 May;86(5):583-6. PMID: 11379811.
4. Food Allergy Research and Resource Program. (June 26, 2018). Shea nut: Food allergy opinions and summaries. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
5. Chawla KK, et al. Shea butter contains no IgE-binding soluble proteins . Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011 March;127(3):680 - 682.