“On Sunday morning, I no longer recognized myself in the mirror.” Content creator Emma Artwest wants to warn about certain cosmetic substances and mixtures that can cause strong reactions like burns. Last January, she had the bitter experience after applying several products to her skin, including a cleansing gel recently added to her beauty routine. “I put it on once in the evening, as a second cleanse for my skin, and once in the morning,” she explains.
“In the evening, I noticed that the skin on my face was drier than usual, but it was from the next day that I started to have increasingly red patches and swelling,” she continues. A situation which only got worse, despite the medicines dispensed at the pharmacy. Emma Artwest has been documenting the stages of her recovery on social media ever since.
“First degree burns all over the face with edema”
On Monday January 15, the young woman went to her general practitioner, unable to find a dermatologist quickly available near her home. She has “first-degree burns all over her face with swelling of the eyelids and cheeks and a second-degree lesion on her left cheek,” we read on her certificate.
The lesions on her skin push her to put her life on hold until the situation improves. “I was going through interviews at that time, I had to stop,” she regrets. The content creator also had to stop certain activities, such as sports, due to pain from sweating on her face.
For Emma Astrwest, the cause of her burns is to be found in her new cleansing gel, “Ultra Facial Cleanser” from Kielh’s. “The other products that I usually use have never done anything for me,” she explains. Among the substances present in this product is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. A name that “came up a lot in the comments,” she adds.
Sodium Laureth sulfate (SLES) is an anionic surfactant used in cosmetics, which is found in shower gels and shampoos in particular, for its detergent properties, details the application INCI Beauty, which helps decipher the contents of cosmetics. It allows products that contain it to foam when they come into contact with water.
Questioned by Le Parisien, dermatologist Marc Perrussel explains that this substance is less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which was used more previously. “But it remains a surfactant so by nature, it strips,” he explains. Depending on use, it can cause irritation dermatitis, that is to say that the skin will dry out and there may be burning sensations, continues the dermatologist. Very rarely, there may be allergic manifestations with reactions such as eczema with edema and redness. This substance is generally quite well tolerated. »
Nadine Pomarède, dermatologist and founder of DermoMedicalCenter confirms that Sodium Laureth sulfate can cause “eye or skin irritation”. These doctors, who did not see Emma Artwest in consultation, cannot however comment on the reasons for the young woman’s burns.
“I just want my skin back”
Kiehl’s has been in contact with Emma Artwest. “After receipt of the product used, our scientific experts carried out an analysis, which made it possible to confirm its perfect conformity, we are assured. The causes of the situation could not be identified in the absence of examination results shared with our experts. » The brand of cosmeticwhich says it carries out a “rigorous and systematic evaluation of the safety of the products and the ingredients they contain”, also claims to have offered the young woman an appointment with a dermatologist-allergist.
The content creator has not filed a complaint and is waiting to learn about the long-term damage to her skin, as well as the full costs for treatment. “Everything will depend on the evolution of my skin (sensitivities, pigment spots, rosacea, need for laser), she explains. I just want my skin back and for the brand to question the composition of these products because I’m not the only one concerned. » She wants adverse effects to be better reported because “the consequences are too serious and sometimes even lifelong”.
Emma Artwest has reported side effects from using this product on the dedicated site of the government. The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), responsible for processing requests, “may be required to implement preventive or corrective measures adapted to the situation”, such as the formulation of a custody or withdrawal of a product.
