<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

In response to an inquiry I made about Avon products (and a complaint about a
very polite but confused customer service rep.), I received a personal
phonecall from Linda Occidentale from Avon's N.Y. headquarters. Ha! She not
only knows their products, but has celiac sprue!

She went down a sampling of products. This may not be all-inclusive, but she
was answering my specific questions. She is highly sensitive to fragrances as
I can be, too, so she tried to steer me to fragrance-free. Stay away from
alcohol, in general, although I believe she said cetyl (spelling?) alcohol
should not cause a reaction.

lipsticks...all o.k.
eye shadows...all o.k.
mascara...Most o.k. Watch out for "wheat protein" in ingredients. Perfectwear
   (spelling?) and Perfectwear remover are gf.
face powders...all o.k.
Beyond Color Vertical Lift Foundation (This does have some fragrance.) Others
   may also be fine, but we didn't go through the list.
Moisture Therapy Light Body Lotion. Others may also be fine, but we didn't go
   through the list.
Be careful of hair products. (Not just Avon's.) More and more have wheat in
   them and certainly fragrances that would aggravate the allergy-prone.
Perfumes....Even if you can handle the fragrance, the alcohols are
   questionable. Avon buys it in great volume and does not know specific
   sources used by suppliers.

I questioned the Skin-So-Soft bug-repellant sunscreen She said it does have
alcohol and/or fragrance. I've used it a lot and can't seem to attribute a
reaction to it, but she suggested getting one of the packets that has a wet
wipe (towelette)  in it and do a skin test in the crook of my elbow. Just a
thought.

The original customer rep. mailed me a booklet on Avon Ingredients. It is not
specific to individual products and does not give origins or sources of the
stuff the chemicals are made from. It was of no use for me.
Questions? I think I originally called the number in the phone book, which I
believe was 1-800-FOR-AVON. The phone number on the ingredients booklet is
1-800-457-4202. Or write to Avon Products, Inc. Consumer Information at 1251
Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10020.

Note from cautious me: Companies can change ingredients without notifying the
public, so do read the labels before you try something you haven't used
before.

If anyone else has substantiated data about other brands of make-up, I'd love
to hear it. And here's a public thank you to Linda Occidentale of Avon
products!
Linda Goldkrantz