From increasing demand for ingredient transparency to fragrance-free skincare, dermatological product development and allergen awareness go hand-in-hand.

Karen Harwood and Victoria Tydeman took the process one step further by creating an allergen-neutral, cruelty-free, and vegan skincare range, Oodee. Prior to founding the range, both had met at handmade skincare brand Steamcream, founded by Tydeman with Harwood later joining as Managing Director, having previously worked as Senior Brand Manager at L'Oréal.

Having suffered from unexplained skin flare-ups, Harwood was determined to create a range that would reduce any risk of irritating her skin. Four years in the making, the brand’s range of a cleanser, moisturizer, and serum is devoid of 14 food and 26 fragrance allergens, alongside hundreds of other potential allergens listed on the Oodee site. Replacing said ingredients is a DermaRDE+ multivitamin complex, packed with 22 ingredients including niacinamide, prebiotics, postbiotics, antioxidants, and a wide range of vitamins. The company has supported its launch by raising over £700,000 through online angel investment platform, Angel Investment Network.

Oodee recently did a study of 145 bestselling sensitive skin products across five retailers. 92% of cleansers, 96% of serums, and 100% of moisturizers contained food and fragrance allergens or other irritants. In the brand’s commissioned Skin Sensitivity Survey, carried out by CUTest Consumer Research, 97% of 1,564 respondents felt that allergens should be listed on skincare products in the same way that they are on food products, and 86% said they were more likely to buy allergen-neutral skincare.

But in a world with a dizzying array of ingredients, plus highly individual sensitivity issues, what does allergen neutral mean exactly? BeautyMatter spoke to Harwood to find out.

What was the product development process like?

We have spent four years working on the R&D for the products—often reverse-engineering the formulation process to ensure the provenance of each and every ingredient to ensure there are no traces of allergens or skin triggers and that they meet our strict criteria.

We’re a formula-first, science-backed brand, so naturally we’re fascinated by green chemistry. These sustainable and eco-friendly technologies produce our Allergen Neutral formulas, enabling us to reduce energy and water usage, and consequently remove the need for pesticides and fertilizers. For example, gemmotherapy and plant stem cells reduce resources by harvesting and extracting nutrients and plant materials at an early stage, whilst supercritical CO2 extraction uses low temperatures to extract delicate ingredients that would otherwise be degraded and destroyed by conventional means.

What are the unique properties of the DermaRDE+ ingredients?

This multivitamin blend is at the core of every Oodee product and includes 22 vital nutrients scientifically proven to optimize skin’s health and appearance. From niacinamide to hyaluronic acid and carrot seed oil, we’ve cherry-picked the very best of nature’s own pharmacy—combining superfoods and potent actives to deliver the ultimate powershot of goodness for your skin. Or, as we like to call it: your Recommended Daily Everything.

What are the biggest consumer and industry misconceptions about allergens?

First, food allergens cannot be absorbed topically. Secondly, those with food allergies failing to understand that skincare with those allergens in them may be causing irritation.

How much do internal versus external allergen triggers affect the individual?

Research findings indicate the following implications of having food and fragrance allergens in skincare: skin inflammation, dermatitis, potential ineffectiveness of allergy treatment, allergen sensitization, and food allergies being triggered soon after use of cosmetic products with food allergens. In fact, commercial skincare products containing peanut oil have long been known to trigger peanut allergy later, and severe allergic reaction to goat cheese was experienced weeks after using a moisturizer containing goat’s milk components.

How is Oodee different from brands making hypoallergenic claims?

We are the first and only brand to actively eliminate all known food and fragrance allergens from our products. We’ve removed the risk—giving you the control and freedom you deserve with high-performance, nutrient-rich formulas that feed your skin from the outside in.

Oodee is the first and only skincare brand to call out 14 major food and 26 IFRA fragrance allergens and guarantee they will not be found in any of our formulations. Unlike traditional skincare packaging, Oodee’s packaging clearly calls out what food allergens are excluded in a visual and consumer-friendly way, allowing people to make the best choice for themselves.

The term “hypoallergenic” was developed by the cosmetics industry to provide assurance to consumers that a particular product was suitable for very reactive skin. However, the term is largely meaningless and does not provide the consumer with a reliable indicator that a hypoallergenic product is suitable for them. Strictly, hypoallergenic means that a particular product is less (hypo) allergenic than a previous product. In reality, it is not used to mean this but as a phrase that tries to indicate that a product is mild and gentle to skin. Allergic sensitization reactions (the strict definition of a hypoallergenic product benefit) are not related to the skin dryness, redness, and tightness that are symptoms of sensitive skin and atopic skin. This confusion and the misleading benefit that is implied by the term hypoallergenic has led to it being phased out and actively discouraged by regulators in the UK and Europe. The term has become a marketing term that cannot be objectively substantiated and has been molded to mean anything that a particular brand wants it to be.

The term “Allergen Neutral” is a much more rigorous approach to develop products suitable for the needs of all people with sensitive skin. This starts with a comprehensive investigation into every ingredient used in the formulations, with rejection of those that may potentially cause or exacerbate sensitivity. The products have been developed and independently validated by multiple external experts to eliminate as many known allergens as possible.These products have therefore been described as allergen neutral, as the rigorous investigations have reduced the potential known allergens to as low a level as possible. Everyone is different and has unique skin triggers, so eliminating as many as possible is a good thing.

What labs or scientific teams did you work with to verify your Allergen Neutral claims?

Allergen Neutral is a term we have created and trademarked—it is not a claim. We have worked with CUTest to validate and rigorously test our claims for sensitive skin use.

How big is the size of the market opportunity for your products?

There are over 2 million people in the UK with a diagnosed food allergy, but many more will have food allergies and intolerances that are undiagnosed, simply because it is often difficult to identify without a strict process of elimination. More than 1 in 4 people will be affected by an allergy in their lifetime. In the UK population of 67.22 million people, that equates to 16.81 million people.



In the wake of ingredient-focused and science-backed skincare, Oodee’s product proposition presents a compelling case for consumers looking to minimize irritation and allergen potential. For product developers, it is a more challenging and restrictive process of creation; however, as history proves, supply will adapt according to demand.