Side effects | Depilatory cream

Side effects

When using depilatory creams, the hair is removed chemically, as the active ingredients dissolve the hair structure. However, these ingredients can often also irritate the skin. People with very sensitive skin or skin diseases such as neurodermatitis should therefore better resort to other hair removal methods.

It can lead to rashes, redness, pimples, itching and burning. For this reason it is recommended to test the compatibility in advance. For this purpose, the depilatory cream is first applied to a small area.

If no skin reaction occurs within 24 hours, the product can be used. However, this is no guarantee for the compatibility on all body parts. Irritations often occur, especially on the face and in the bikini area.

Contact with mucous membranes should be avoided at all costs to avoid painful irritation and injury caused by the aggressive ingredients. In the past, allergic reactions to the ingredients of depilatory creams were more frequent. Similar to an intolerance/skin irritation, this can lead to rashes with small pimples or blisters as well as to severe itching or burning.

Due to a change in the formulation, however, these reactions occur rather rarely with most products nowadays. Nevertheless, allergy sufferers should better avoid this chemical method of hair removal and use mechanical methods such as shaving or epilation. The strong chemical odour is also often perceived as a nuisance, and even the addition of fragrances usually does not completely mask it.