At BABH we strive to provide education, transparency, and knowledge about the products we provide. This includes education about allergens.
Approxinately 0.5 percent of the North American population has a rare but serious tree nut allergy. When someone with a tree nut allergy ingests even a trace amount, that person is at risk of a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis. An anaphylactic reaction includes more than one of the body’s systems, such as the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, the skin and cardiovascular symptom.
Health Canada considers the following to be tree nuts: Almond, Beech nuts, Brazil nuts, Butternuts, Cashews, Chestnuts, Chinquapins, Coconuts, Filberts/hazelnuts, Ginko nuts, Hickory nuts, Lichee nuts, Macadmamia nuts/Bush nuts, Pecans, Pine nuts/Pinon nuts, Pistachios, Shea nuts, and Walnuts.
Coconut: While coconut is considered a tree nut when it comes to food labeling purposes it is not, strictly speaking, a nut. Rather, it is the fruit of a palm tree. Most people with tree nut allergies are able to eat coconut. However, it is possible to be allergic to coconut. Reports of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated coconut allergy are rare and according to the NIH, only a handful of cases have been reported in the literature in adults and children. Ingesting and topical applications in cosmetics and personal care products are of course two different things. Cosmetics and personal care products sometimes contain nut oils but these are likely to have been highly refined.
Shea Butter: Shea butter is derived from the seed or kernel from the Shea tree and is very rich in oil. The oil or butter is refined, bleached and deodorized, and the final product is primarily fat rather than protein. The 2006 US Food and Drug Administration guidelines included shea nut among other tree nuts. Shea nut is distantly related to Brazil nut, which cross-reacts with almond, hazelnut, walnut, and peanut.Because of its high content of nonsaponifiable lipids, shea butter is widely used in cosmetic, baby care, food, and confectionary products. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology tested Shea butter and found it contains no IgE-binding soluble proteins. There are no reports of ingestion or contact-related reactions to shea butter in individuals with nut allergy. The fatty content of the shea nut kernel varies by region from 29.7% to 53.7%. The protein content is poorly characterized; in one study, 42 mg protein was extracted from 100 g shea nut (0.042%). For comparison, Brazil nut contains 14% protein, cashew and pistachio 21%, and peanut 25%. You can read more about testing here https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749%2810%2901636-2/fulltext
According to a 2017 article published on the Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Food Allergy Research and Resource Program website: "An exhaustive search of the worldwide clinical literature provided no evidence to indicate that any allergic reactions have ever been reported to shea nut butter. Allergic reactions to shea nuts have not been described either, although they are not widely eaten. Recent research indicates that shea nut butter does not contain any detectable protein residues and does not contain detectable residues of proteins from peanut or various known allergenic tree nuts (walnut, almond, pecan, hazelnut). Since allergens are proteins, this research indicates the absence of detectable allergens in shea nut butter. Thus, refined shea nut butter does not pose any known or likely allergenic risk to consumers including individuals with pre-existing peanut or tree nut allergies. Products containing refined shea butter can be safely used by all consumers.
Shea Butter and Latex Allergies We have found lay articles that indicate people with latex allergies (especially TYPE B latex allergy) may have a reaction to shea butter because it contains natural latex. So if you’re sensitive to latex, then it's possible to react to shea butter overtime."
Mango Butter: While any food may cause an allergic reaction, mangoes are unique in that they belong to the plant family that also contains poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac. They all contain urushiol, an oil found within the Anacardiaceae plant family. This oil can cause contact dermatitis. Urushiol is also found in the sap, skin, stem, and leaf of mangos. Mango Butter - Mango Seed Butter - is cold-pressed from the shelled fruit kernel, the seed of the fruit, and does not contain urushiol. It is filled with oleic acid and stearic acid, two fatty acids that work to keep skin soft. The butter is also high in antioxidants and vitamins, and anecdotally has been touted to have wound healing properties as well. We proudly list every ingredient in all of our products. If you have severe anaphylactic type reactions to ANY of the ingredients in ANY of our products, please do not buy purchase them. People with sensitivities to any listed ingredient found with our product descriptions may wish to play it safe and not use any of our products containing oils derived from any of the above tree nuts. If you notice any adverse affects, please discontinue use.
Bottom Line: We want you to be healthy even if that means you can not use our products.
Information on ingredients used in our products appearing on this website is not intended to be, nor should be interpreted as, medical advice or recommendation concerning the use of any cosmetic product. If you have questions about your use of a cosmetic product, please review the labeling appearing on the product and/or consult a physician.