I began to develop an interest in the subject of allergies and sensitivities when, as a health writer, I was commissioned to write my first book, Living with Food Intolerance, in 2004, and began to research and learn about all the possible reactions and symptoms some individuals could experience to foods and food ingredients.
A year on, I began contributing articles on coeliac disease and allergies to Foods Matter (then a magazine, now a web-based resource), and later was invited by its founder Michelle Berriedale-Johnson to become a judge on the Free From Food Awards.
In 2009, SkinsMatter.com was conceived, and Michelle and I launched the Free From Skincare Awards in 2012 – the former as a resource for information on all health matters concerning the skin, but especially skin sensitivities and eczema, and the latter to reward and encourage manufacturers of more ‘natural’ and lower allergen skincare products, which were free from some of the ingredients many consumers increasingly wanted to or needed to avoid.
The Skins Matter blog will cover issues about the Awards and the Skins Matter site, and to explore subjects of topical interest in the fields of natural / organic skincare, ‘free from’ skincare (which is free from allergens, fragrances, petrochemicals, parabens etc), skin sensitivities and problem skins (ie eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea and acne).
You can follow us on twitter @SkinsMatter and @FFSkincareAward, or on Facebook, or on Instagram, or email me at alex(at)skinsmatter(dot)com
If you are interested in allergy in a wider sense, you may like my blog and website Allergy Insight.
For more about my writing in the fields of coeliac disease, food allergies and food intolerance, see my website.