Soap For People With a Corn Allergy

I was at our annual Home & Garden show last weekend and was approached by a lady who recently developed a severe sensitivity to corn. She told me she's lost 25 lbs in the last 2 months because there's so little she can eat that isn't contaminated by corn. She asked if my soap included corn. I immediately said "no, I don't use corn oil" but then I started thinking....

Once I started considering each of my ingredients, they all might have a trace of corn. Table sugar often includes high fructose corn syrup. Sodium lactate is a salt derived from beets and corn. If the cows and pigs eat corn, tallow and lard are out. What about olive oil, soybean oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, etc? If a corn crop is growing within a mile or so, the bees may cross contaminate. Then there's the honey itself. Jeez, it just keeps getting more complicated!

She asked me if I could develop a soap for corn sensitive people and I decided I'm not going to take the risk as the liability would be too high. If someone went into full blown anaphylaxis...I don't even want to think about it. Too scary. But out of curiosity, does anyone here have a sensitivity to corn and what do you do to ensure no corn contamination?

And I thought I had it bad dealing with my hubby's MSG sensitivity. That doesn't hold a candle to a corn allergy!

I have a friend who is allergic to corn, with both intestinal intolerance and skin rashes. She can use my high lard soap with CO, OO, castor oil, and wildflower honey. I also made her a batch of liquid soap with CO, OO, castor oil, and again wildflower honey. She was using strictly Dr. Bronner's soap before I came along. She said she can eat chicken, pork, and beef, so I did not worry about the oils.

Our sugar in the deep south is made strictly from sugar cane. No corn syrup, so it should be safe.

Geez! That poor lady!

I find it surprising that after the process of being eaten and digested that tallow and lard would have corn contamination. I think my choice would be to ask for the contact info for that lady's allergy specialist and ask their advice.

Table sugar does not have high fructose corn syrup in it. HFCS is a liquid ("syrup") with some of its glucose converted to fructose, because fructose tastes sweeter.

Table sugar is sucrose made from either beets or sugar cane, not corn.

KristaY said:

I don't use corn oil" but then I started thinking....

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I think you may have a serious issue of over-thinking! How do you sleep at night?! LOL Just teasin' ya!

She asked me if I could develop a soap for corn sensitive people and I decided I'm not going to take the risk as the liability would be too high.

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Gosh, there are several soaps you could make for her to "try" without having to "develop something special". I would take time to explain to her that saying something like "for corn sensitive people" puts you in jeopardy, so you can't make that promise, but she's welcome to try something you already make.

The ones that come to mind are Aleppo, Castile/Bastile of course, PKO/Palm/Olive/, Dr. Bronner dupe, and so on. No worries.

Being next to a corn crop shouldn't contaminate. Look for labels with "may contain" this or that. You'll see that on foods that may have come into contact with known allergens.

People are allergic to the proteins in a given food. I can't imagine a protein remaining intact enough to cause an allergic reaction after being subjected to the lye.

BrewerGeorge said:

People are allergic to the proteins in a given food. I can't imagine a protein remaining intact enough to cause an allergic reaction after being subjected to the lye.

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This is the exact point my brain keeps returning to. How is the chemical conversion of the various ingredients affected? How does that affect the person with the sensitivity?

One thing she told me is she doesn't go into full blown anaphylaxis but does get a bit short of breath if she eats certain things. Well, short of breath is next door to anaphylaxis so that's a worry and a true allergic reaction will only get worse with each exposure. She avoids corn fed animals but I don't know if it's because she's had a reaction or if she's just trying to avoid one.

What a miserable way to have to live!

People are allergic to what people are allergic to.
It's not just proteins.
If someone is claiming a corn allergy ... I'd be looking closely at Fructose (an -ose ... all -ose's are sugars).

Anyways ... to answer your original question of how to, or is it possible to, cater to someone with a corn allergy:

I am fortunate in my supply chain, to expect that corn isn't an ingredient in some other thing I am incorporating.

To achieve the same level of supply security ... I think (but don't know, and haven't checked) that your country has an exclusion zone for organic production. If that is so, then by buying certified (your country, not imported) organic, you get that exclusion zone certification as part of the organic certificate.