Limonene

I used Solo shaving cream for the first time today and didn't get all that great of a shave. So poor was the first pass that I decided to try the Arko I also just received for my follow-up passes. Better but also not great compared to the better creams in my den (but that's irrelevant here).

I noticed when I put the Solo on my face that it was kinda irritating after sitting for a minute or so. I pulled the box out of the trash and looked at it. It says not to use the product on broken or irritated skin. I do have some ingrowns that are still healing and that's where the irritation was originating.

I looked at the ingredient list and found that it contains Limonene. Having never heard of this before I decided to Wikipedia it. I found the following statement in the article: "Limonene and its oxidation products are skin and respiratory irritants" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonene).

Anyone else use this Solo shave cream from England? Anyone use anything with Limonene in it? Similar experiences? I'm planning to try it again tomorrow but if that sting comes back again, no dice on this one.

Limonene is often used as a scenting compound, and can be found in any number of shave creams, aftershaves, colognes, etc., especially those with a citrus scent, but it can be found in other, seemingly non-citrus scent blends as well. It's a potential allergen, and thus now has to be listed on ingredients lists per EU regulations. As the Wikipedia article points out, most people who experience skin problems with limonene are exposed to very high concentrations of it, much more than what you'll find in a cosmetic application. However, there are those who are sensitized to it, and they will react to much lower concentrations. The key in your case is to know if you're reacting to the limonene in the Solo cream, or something else. You list TOBS lemon/lime cream in your signature line. I'll lay odds that contains limonene, and if you can use that without a problem, it's probably not the limonene in the Solo that's causing your discomfort. Obviously that won't make the Solo any better of an option for you, should the irritation persist, but it might mean that you don't have to shun all products containing limonene. On the other hand, if you do have a sensitivity to limonene, you will have to be very selective about the shaving products you buy, as a number of them do contain the ingredient.

You make good points Horatio. I just checked my tub of Lemon/Lime and it doesn't list Limonene but it lists something called Lomonene. Is this a misspelling, an alternate spelling, or something different?

Ten to one it's a misspelling. I've never heard of it, and I read a lot of ingredients labels. Also, just to be sure, I Googled it, and it asked me if I meant "limonene." I got the same result on Wikipedia, too. So I think there's your answer. Oddly enough, there does appear to be a household cleaner called Lomonene, but let's hope TOBS doesn't put that in their shaving creams.

Limonene seems to be part of household cleaners though.....the ones with Citrus scents.

Is it simply the chemical name for lime EO? You might drop a line to Charles at QED. He makes his own products and is very knowledgeable about ingredients, as are some of our fellow B&B members. They're nice folks, to boot!

d-limonene is the major constituent of all citrus oils. It refers specifically to the d- isomer and R enantiomer of the compound. According to some chemical websites, there are a lot of misspellings of limonene, which can be tricky (i.e., lEmonene is often a misspelling, but it refers to an entirely different compound, which is biphenyl).

i didn't really find too much clinical information about irritation of the skin, other than that it can be irritating in high amounts

ChrisS86 said:

d-limonene is the major constituent of all citrus oils. It refers specifically to the d- isomer and R enantiomer of the compound. According to some chemical websites, there are a lot of misspellings of limonene, which can be tricky (i.e., lEmonene is often a misspelling, but it refers to an entirely different compound, which is biphenyl).

i didn't really find too much clinical information about irritation of the skin, other than that it can be irritating in high amounts

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Well I have worked with the stuff in the past, and yes it can be irritating in larger amounts, but I doubt they ever use enough limonene in cosmetics to cause irritation in most individuals. Jeff might just be more sensitive to it than your stereotypical average individual, and know that he knows that he can avoid it in the future when it comes to shave goods.

gollum83 said:

Jeff might just be more sensitive to it than your stereotypical average individual...

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Possibly, but I still think if he can use TOBS Lemon/Lime cream without issue, it's probably not the limonene in the Solo that's causing him the problem.

I've continued to use this cream over the last couple of days and haven't experienced a recurrence of that first day. Must have been a fluke. I have noticed that this stuff produces far less lather than Aos or Taylor's as I'm having to squeeze the brush to get enough for my 3rd face pass (4th total as one goes to my head). I've been using a 1 inch strip minimum just to get that much lather. I've also noticed that this cream cannot have much water added to it or it seems to not protect at all. Maybe the Glycerin is very minimal and gets overly thinned out with too much water.