Why wool is not an allergen (the myth finally debunked)
"I can't wear wool; it makes me itch and gives me hives." If you work in the textile industry, you've probably heard this phrase dozens of times—perhaps you even believed it yourself, before discovering the scientific truth behind this widespread belief.
An international group of allergists, immunologists, and dermatologists tackled this question with remarkable seriousness, reviewing no less than 100 years of scientific literature on the subject. Their conclusion is unequivocal: there is no evidence that wool, as a material, is an allergen. What truly causes the irritation some people experience is not an allergic reaction in the medical sense of the word, but rather a mechanical irritation caused by the thickness of certain fibers that are too coarse to be worn directly on sensitive skin.
And here's the most revealing detail of this study: this irritation phenomenon is absolutely not exclusive to wool. Any sufficiently thick and rigid fiber—including acrylic, nylon, or other synthetic materials—can cause the exact same unpleasant sensation against sensitive skin. The problem is therefore not "wool" in general, but the choice of a fiber that is too coarse for use too close to the skin.
This distinction completely changes how we should advise a client who believes they are "allergic" to wool. Rather than dismissing the fiber entirely, the correct approach is to guide them toward a finer wool—such as that resulting from precision combing, which precisely eliminates the coarsest and most irritating fibers. Several studies have even shown that sufficiently fine wools can improve the symptoms of skin conditions like eczema, rather than worsening them.
At Makeloo Studio, this information concretely changes how we assist our customers in-store and at trade shows: when someone hesitates due to a past unpleasant experience with wool, we take the time to have them touch different fiber finenesses, so they can discover for themselves that there is a wool suited to their sensitivity—and that the solution is not to give up this extraordinary fiber, but simply to choose it well.
Source: International Wool Textile Organisation, Wool Notes, Issue 3 (2024), citing Acta Dermato Venereologica (2016).