Woman's Viral Facebook Post Claims Makeup Remover Wipes Caused a Severe Rash
When a beloved skin-care product suddenly ceases to work, it can feel like the ultimate betrayal. Even worse, when a long-trusted product uncharacteristically leads to an adverse reaction, it can hurt — both emotionally and physically. If the latter has happened to you, you can surely relate to a Facebook post that recently went viral. In the post, a woman named Jaimie Potts laments what she says a very popular drugstore beauty product, Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, allegedly did to her daughter's skin.
"DO NOT USE these make up wipes 🙈😩 Alyssa has been using them for months but yesterday opened a brand new pack to use and This Happened!!" Potts said in the public post. "We went on their website and TONS of reviews of the same reaction! Thought I would share so someone else doesn’t have this happen to them!" The caption accompanies two photos: One of the package of face wipes, and another showing what looks like a very uncomfortable rash on Alyssa's chin, neck, and chest.
It is worth noting that the Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes — an Allure Readers' Choice winner and Best of Beauty Award winner — have received largely positive reviews on the Neutrogena website, despite the post's claim that there were "tons of reviews of the same reaction." However, ever since the post went viral (it's been shared more than 150,000 times since May 2), many more people have left reviews stating they experienced a similar redness, puffiness, and itching.
"The majority of skin-care products have a variety of chemicals, which, in essence, allow the product to serve its purpose. Anyone can develop an allergy or sensitivity to any of these substances or products at any time — that's called allergic contact dermatitis — even if it has been used multiple times in the past without an issue," explains New York City dermatologist Shari Marchbein. "In regard to the Neutrogena wipes, it's difficult to tell from the photo whether these were hives or eczema. It does not necessarily mean there is a 'bad batch,' although that certainly could be the case, but this would be [rarer]."
Carol Goodrich, director of global media relations for Neutrogena's parent company, Johnson & Johnson, provided the following statement in response to Allure's inquiry for this story: "We are deeply concerned about recent Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes complaints and ask that if consumers experience an adverse reaction, please call us at 1-800-582-4048 or send us a DM @Neutrogena immediately as we gather more details and get answers. Our brand promise — we will respond to every complaint as soon as we have more information to share." Goodrich also said she isn't aware of any recent formulation changes, but that it will certainly part of the comprehensive investigation.
"To help figure out which chemical someone may be allergic to, dermatologists can perform patch testing, which is a form of allergy testing," Marchbein advises. "If someone exhibits a true allergy to a particular product, they would need to completely avoid it in order to not have the rash reoccur."
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