Is Stainless Steel Hypoallergenic
Yes, stainless steel is completely hypoallergenic and can be used by people with sensitive skin. It means that it never leads to skin irritation, burning or coloring. But what about its usage with cosmetic items like perfumes and lotions etc.?
In this article we’ll discuss is stainless steel hypoallergenic and can it be used by every person despite of their skin type.
Different Grades of Stainless Steel
Not all grades of stainless steel are equally created. Nor all are hypoallergenic.
Common causes of non-hypoallergenic properties is the presence of copper and nickel. Any jewelry metal which contains high percentage of these metals is most likely to cause severe skin allergies, irritation and other problems. Apart, copper can only cause mild allergies or turn skin green.
316L Stainless Steel
It is a surgical grade stainless steel alloy which is commonly used in body piercings and high end stainless steel jewelry. It is the safest alloy of all which contains a minimum percentage of nickel. This makes it ideal for most allergy-prone individuals unless they have severe nickel allergies.
This leads to a tension-free usage of jewelry for both normal and sensitive skin people.
304 Stainless Steel
It contains high percentage of nickel making it unsuitable for people with sensitive skin. But still many jeweler might use it as a cheap alternative of 316 L. It can cause moderate to severe nickel allergy. That’s why it must be avoided at all cost. Apart from this, 200 Stainless Steel is also non-hypoallergenic.
904L Stainless Steel
This type of stainless steel is used in luxury watches with non-hypoallergenic properties. It must be avoided at all costs by people with sensitive skin.
It is better to check with your jeweler on what type of stainless steel are they selling.
Why Stainless Steel is Hypoallergenic
Stainless steel has a tough resistant coating of chromium oxide. This coating does not allow inner layer of metal to react with skin or other cosmetic chemicals like perfumes, or lotions. Once there is no reaction between the skin and the metal, you are all set to go.
However, if stainless steel is a lower grade steel, it can contain some nickel elements on its surface. This can lead to allergy, irritation or skin turning red.
How to Know If You Have A Sensitive Skin
Unfortunately there is no hard and fast rule for finding this. You have to try these metals once to find out where you skin opposes or not.
For example, you developed redness or itchiness on wearing copper/brass once, so it means you are most likely to have allergic skin towards these metals. Or you can switch to other hypoallergenic metals like stainless steel, titanium or 18k gold to find out whether these symptoms go away or not. In this way you can find out sensitivity of your skin.
Apart, there are a number of tests you can take to find out whether you have a sensitive skin or not. Here we’re listing down one of those.
Patch Test
Tape a small piece of the earring metal to your inner arm for 48 hours. If redness/itching occurs, you’re likely sensitive to it. If none of the signs appear, then it is safe to be worn.
Can Stainless Steel be Non-Hypoallergenic
Yes, stainless steel can also be non-hypoallergenic if it reacts with strong chemicals like bleach etc.
Once it reacts, outer layer of chromium oxide gets eroded exposing the inner layer to atmospheric chemicals. But this is very uncommon to happen. If it happens, you will definitely know that outer layer is eroded as metal will lose its shiny surface.
An exposed stainless steel can lead to non-hypoallergenic properties like allergies etc.
Stainless Steel vs Other Metals
Stainless steel can be compared with other metals like gold, silver and platinum etc.
Gold
Gold is one of the most premium metals in jewelry making. It comes in different purity grades and compositions like yellow gold, rose gold and white gold etc. Lower purity grades i.e. 9k or 10k gold can be non-hypoallergenic at times and might tarnish as well.
Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is another common metal readily available on both online and offline stores. It contains 7.5% of copper by weight which can also cause some non-hypoallergenic properties.
For example, it can turn your skin green while tarnishing. But severity can be way less as there is no nickel present in it. So, it is better to first check whether your skin is allergic to sterling silver or not via patch test.
Then decide whether you want to buy it or not.
Platinum
Platinum is known for its high density properties. It does not contain any non-hypoallergenic metals. It does not tarnish as well. Only thing which can be a problem is its price.
Conclusion
Stainless steel is a great option for someone looking for an affordable and easy way to increase their collection of jewelry. Some steel grades can be non-hypoallergenic while some might not. It is better to check with your jeweler what they are selling and in what composition steel was made. If you don’t have a sensitive skin, it is better to buy any type of stainless steel. Otherwise look for only those options which don’t have any nickel in them.