Bite Beauty - Allergic Reactions?

[dmichelle1]

Anyone else have an allergic reaction on their lips to Bite Beauty products? I know they have all natural ingredients, which is why I'm perplexed. I've tried two different products from them and end up with eczema-like cuts on my lips.

[Anonymous]

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mishelly78 wrote:

I am now 100% sure that my lip reactions are due to Bite lipsticks.  I have tried two different kinds and different colors and each time it starts with a burning tingling on the edge of my upper lip and then turns into tiny little bumps with swelling.  I did not want to believe it because I love the way it looks and feels when I first put it on, but after taking a break for over a month, I tried it again this morning and am noticing the same symptoms.  Bummed!

I'm wondering if the infused resveratrol or Manuka honey has anything to do with it?  I have had reactions to honey in the past, but with slightly different symptoms.

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I'm glad I found this post! I've had the same reation to my bite lipstick, tiny blisters that tingle but aren't like a cold sore, they last a few days. Gonna have to toss my beautiful red lippy!!

[Anonymous]

I would say the Reservatrol, every time I wear the Bite glosses I get a reaction. For me, I can tolerate it in the lipsticks. I had to toss the gloss though, a huge bump to the right of my lip that would tingle.

[dmichelle1]

Update: I tried a L'Oreal lip glossy balm recently. Had the same eczema-like reaction on my lips. Checked the ingredients - Lanolin was ingredient #3 with nothing else in common to Bite! Lanolin, at least for me, is the culprit. I've been checking my other lip products and none include lanolin, I haven't had another reaction.

[k617]

I just found this thread after struggling to wear regular lipsticks last year. I even posted a thread about my lip issues in order to try to pick out what it might be!

http://community.sephora.com/t5/Lips/Lips-Freaking-Out/m-p/2208335#M28629

I think I'm also allergic to some (or all) of Bite's products. I haven't confirmed it yet, but here's my experience (in spoiler because it's a long post):

Spoiler

I caught the lipstick bug last June, after not wearing anything on lips except balms and glosses since I started wearing makeup, and wore lipstick almost every day for about 3 months before running into an issue where my lips would be super dry and peeling (that was in mid September I think). Thinking that my lips were finally fed up with my lipstick addiction and were therefore dehydrated, I started using Bite's regular Agave lip mask nightly so I could continue to wear lipstick during the day. Even though the dryness went away, overall things didn't get better and I actually started getting tiny tiny blisters on the edge of my lips that would pop and ooze out a little bit of clear fluid.

So I stopped using lipstick, went to a walk-in clinic and was (wrongly) diagnosed with a cold sore. What a waste of money! 30-days worth of prescription drugs and cold sore cream and nothing got better, luckily the drugs were covered by my work benefits so I only had to pay a little out of pocket. Finally I made an appointment to see my family doctor, who dismissed the cold sore diagnosis and said I was probably reacting to something I'm eating or using. He gave me a prescription for a prescription strength corticosteroid which helped the rash go away (during this time I stopped the use of all lip products except moisturizing products for my lips during the day).

While trying to determine what could have possibly caused my bad reaction, I went through thinking it was beeswax, peppermint oil, lanolin, the usual suspects--when the Bite Maple lip mask came out, I couldn't resist, and I used it a few times and didn't have a bad reaction to it until a few days later, so I returned it. Eventually, I stopped using the regular lip mask too because it wasn't doing anything for me.

When my lips looked better--thanks to 100% shea butter, coconut oil-based lip balms, and the corticosteroid for occasional flare ups--I would try wearing lipstick again with no success. The tiny blisters would come back and I would get a rash around my cupid's bow that wouldn't go away unless I stopped wearing lipstick and put on the prescription corticosteroid. I also thought that it was my lip liner, so I stopped wearing liner under my lipstick, and I even started tracking which lipsticks I wear would give me a bad reaction the next day or the following days. It was getting to be too much (I was not to use the corticosteroid long term) so eventually in November? December? I stopped wearing lipstick altogether, which was a sad day because I had bought all these pretty lipsticks but couldn't wear them.

I was very happy when I discovered that my lips did not react to any lip gloss I wore or any liquid lipsticks. For about 6 months I was a devoted liquid lippie wearer. No lip liner, and I still stayed away from products with peppermint oil, beeswax, and lanolin. Aqauphor has been amazing at keeping my lips from getting dry!

Last month I decided to give lipsticks another chance, thinking that maybe if I wear them for short periods of time and don't touch up too much, my lips would tolerate it. So far, except for a tiny scare after overapplying a Colourpop Lippie stix and getting tiny bumps that went away the next day, I haven't had any sort of reaction.

Looking at the list of lipsticks I was tracking last year, I think the problem might have been Bite products. I acquired a bunch of pretties over the summer and early Fall (with the Frozen Berries and Maple collection, my visit to the Lip Lab in NY, the monthly Lip Lab Limited Releases, and Mauvember) and was wearing a Bite product basically every other to every few days. There was a streak where I wore 3 Bite products 3 days in a row. This time around, since wearing lipstick again, I have not yet put on a Bite product--so far so good.

I think eventually once I've worked up the courage (to arm myself with the corticosteroid I haven't touched in months and to prepare for the rash that may ensue) I will stop wearing all brands of lipsticks except Bite, to see if indeed Bite was the culprit. I'll also start with the crayons/pencils (since I wore them near the beginning of my lipstick addiction and had no issues), moving onto the regular lipsticks...hopefully I will find that only certain Bite products cause me issues, because I have so many colours in the LLLR line and Berries line that I love! 

[Loretta55]

I thought that I may have figured out what was causing my lip problems but a couple of weeks ago I developed similar symptoms. I was using Fresh Advanced Lip Serum and Bite Beauty Barberry. It took me about a week to feel better. I have not tried any Bite Beauty products since the episode.

You have my sympathies @k61.

[k617]

No worries @Loretta55, I have been fine for a few months, at least I know I can fall back to liquid lipsticks if I encounter issues again!

Oh no, Barberry! That's one of my fav Bite lipsticks!!

[Loretta55]

@k617, I am going to try to wear Barberry again and pray that it was not the problem.

Glad to hear that you are feeling better. I do agree about the liquid lipsticks.

[ktina83]

I have had allergic reactions to a couple of bite products: Lip tint and lip crayon. What's super annoying is that I didn't use to be allergic to the lip tint-- I used to use it all the time-- but either they added an ingredient or I developed an allergy. I also had a bad reaction to the agave lip mask.

[funtobegirly]

Yes! Several of their products contain lanolin, which I am highly allergic to. Lanolin is in all of the agave lip masks, and, though it's not listed as an ingredient on Sephora's website, it's in every Lush Fruit Lip Gloss that I purchased within the past year. Years ago, the Lush Glosses did not contain lanolin, so I was very unpleasantly surprised when I had a reaction to the glosses I purchased more recently. Sure enough, I looked at the box and there was lanolin...the second ingredient, none the less. I notified Sephora, but the ingredient list for the Lush Fruit Glosses on the website has never been updated, to my knowledge. 

Everyone is different, so perhaps you are allergic or sensitive to another ingredient. But, for me, it's the lanolin.

[BabyxDoll]

 I can't wear the agave lip mask.  I bought it and had to return because it chemically burned my lips.  However I have a couple of their lipsticks and no issues.  I suffer from eczema too so I feel your pain.  

[dmichelle1]

Sounds very similar!!

[raquelio]

I had a bad reaction to certian colors mainly the fuschia ones: drying of lips  only  associated to berry colors and the agave mask.

[alexasteph]

The original Agave mask seems to be drying my lips out a little bit lately too... Which is weird because I used a smaller sample size for about 5 months and had no issues. I also have it in the red shade and that one is fine. At first I thought my lips may have just gotten sunburnt and were peeling, but it hasn't gotten any better, or worse really. It's only in the middle portion of my bottom lip.

[kristengvan]

I picked up Bite's gorgeous new Rhubarb Amuse Bouche and wore it yesterday for the first time. I've always loved Bite's lip products but this formulation gave me a reaction. It smells quite minty to me, but I don't see any mint listed in the ingredients--maybe it's the 'flavor' listed? I know some people can tolerate mint on their lips, but for me it burns and the irritation lasts for a few days.

[shaunahmargaret]

So so depressing. I guess I'm not the only one. I find that I'm also allergic to MAC lipsticks. Personally, I think it is the added fragrance. 

[dmichelle1]

That's interesting, I haven't tried MAC lipsticks before.

[purly]

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[dmichelle1]

The reactions happened to me with the lip masks as well as the lip balms that Bite makes. I haven't tried the lipsticks but it sounds like people have the same issues with those. I don't have ANY food allergies...

[miricross]

I'm not allergic to Bite products, but I AM allergic to all kinds of natural things: trees, grass, animals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and on and on.  Even though their ingredients are "natural", you could still be having a reaction to something you are allergic to.

[MissRose415]

I have the same problem. I started using bite lipstick few months ago. And I started seeing that the edges of my lips discolored. Almost like its burnt, and swollen. And then it starts drying up and skin started peeling off. I didn't know it was a lipstick allergy and I kept using it and then realized its the bite brand that causes it. I love the lipstick , but so unfortunate. 

[AnnieBea]

Hi MissRose415,

Out of curiosity have you tried Anastasia's lip products (specifically her liquid lipstick in Pure Hollywood and her lipgloss in Undressed) and have you experienced  similar reaction? How about Sephora Lip Cream Stain in Marvellous Mauve?