About two years ago, I started noticing some weird patterns with my skin. I'd been doing my own gel nails for a while—nothing excessive, I just liked doing them. But then a small, itchy patch appeared on my wrist. I didn't think much of it at first, assuming it was just dry skin from the UV lamp or a random reaction to something else.

Over the next few months, things got more confusing. I started seeing these stubborn little bumps all over my face, especially around the bottom of my cheeks. They weren't particularly itchy, just persistent. However, whenever I had a "flare-up," it was impossible to ignore—my eyelids would swell and get incredibly itchy. It was a strange situation because I wasn't using any nail products on my face, yet my face was clearly reacting.

The breaking point was the very last time I did my nails. Within a couple of hours of finishing the set, I felt dizzy and my skin started crawling. My wrists and face were intensely itchy, and even my breathing felt slightly off. It was a scary experience, and I ended up soaking them off that same evening. I haven't touched gel polish since.

Initially, I was convinced it was just a HEMA allergy, which is common with gel nails. I figured that by stopping the nails, my skin would clear up. But the little bumps on my jawline stayed, and that spot on my wrist kept flaring up at random times. It didn't make sense if the source was gone.

That's when I started looking at the ingredients in my skincare. At the time, I was using the Ongredients Skin Barrier Calming Lotion, thinking it would help calm down the irritation. But surprise, surprise—it was actually making everything worse because it contains Carbomer. I didn't know Carbomer was a polyacrylic acid. My "safe" moisturizer was actually keeping my reaction alive. Once I removed everything containing acrylate derivatives, those stubborn bumps finally cleared up within a few days.

To make matters more complicated, I was also dealing with fungal acne, which flared up after I started birth control for endometriosis around the same time. Finding products that didn't trigger my acrylate allergy and didn't feed the fungal acne was a nightmare. I spent so much time cross-referencing ingredient lists that I eventually just decided to build this tool to do it for me.

I've also got a lavender allergy to deal with, which just adds another layer to the search for safe products. If you're struggling to figure out why your skin is acting up, I hope this analyzer makes your journey a bit easier than mine was. It's frustrating to deal with, but identifying the triggers makes all the difference.