Hey, I'm Val! 👋

I'm a software engineer, but more importantly for why you're here—I'm someone who had to learn the hard way about living with an acrylates allergy.

My story started about two years ago. I started doing my own gel nails at home, but a few months later, I started getting an itchy patch on my wrist every time I did my nails. I didn't think much of it and kept doing my nails, but as I kept going, it got so much more severe, more itchy and more flaky. I thought my skin was just dry from the nail lamp so I started using more lotion (which only made it worse).

Every time I did my nails I had a new symptom, my eyelids started to get itchy and swollen. My breathing started feeling a bit strange, and I was taking antihistamines every single day just to function. My body was clearly trying to tell me something, but I just didn't know what it was. The breaking point was when I put on a new set and had to remove them the very same day—I was so incredibly itchy and felt so dizzy that I knew something was seriously wrong. I didn't go to the doctor because I didn't know to what extent I was being a hypochondriac (like they had many times led me to believe while seeking treatment for endometriosis).

At first, I figured it was just HEMA (the most common trigger), so I carried on using my usual skincare and makeup, and normal nail polish. But I kept getting these small bumps around my jawline, and my wrist would flare up in the exact same spot as it did with the gel nails.

Around that same time, I was also struggling with fungal acne. Which started around the time I was put on a very high dose of birth control to help with my endometriosis. It felt like my skin was just constantly reacting to something, which is why I eventually wanted this tool to check for both. It felt that products were either free of acrylates or fungal acne safe, but never both.

Eventually, I made the connection: almost every product I was putting on my face had some kind of "acry" on the ingredient list. Once I started removing them—and the fungal acne triggers—I felt so much better.

Carbomer was one of the last ones I learned about because it doesn't obviously sound like an acrylate. I actually had a total love-hate relationship with the iUNIK Beta Glucan serum—my skin kind of liked it, but only when I was on antihistamines! Otherwise, it would give me those tiny bumps. After a lot of deep-diving, I realized I had to let it go.

Looking back, the allergy was probably brewing for a while. I remember my optometrist and ophthalmologist suggesting I try a different brand of "eye shadow" (they actually meant eyeliner lol) because I had a reaction in my waterline. Surprise, surprise—it contained acrylates!

On top of the acrylates and fungal acne triggers, I'm also allergic to lavender! (Which is in *so* many "natural" products, unfortunately). It makes shopping for skincare feel like an impossible task. I'm actually considering whether to include support for other common allergens like lavender or fragrance if people would find that useful?

I created Acrylis mostly for myself at first, just to make my own life easier because it's so easy to miss ingredients like carbomer, octocrylene, or various patented names. Then I found the r/acrylatesallergy subreddit and realized so many other people were in the same spot.

Acrylates allergies are so tricky because they are in everything—from paint and lotions to bandaids, dental fillings, surgical glue, and anything with adhesives. It's really hard to navigate!

What Acrylis Does

Acrylis is a free, privacy-first ingredient analyzer that checks skincare and cosmetic products for acrylates and acrylate-related compounds that can cause allergic contact dermatitis.

As an added bonus, it also checks for fungal acne triggers! While fungal acne is in no way related to acrylates allergies, I know first-hand how frustrating it is to deal with both at once, so I wanted a tool that could handle them both in one go.

Everything runs entirely in your browser — no servers, no accounts, no data collection. Just paste, analyze, and get instant results.

How I Built the Database

The ingredient databases behind Acrylis are compiled from peer-reviewed scientific literature, established dermatological resources (like the AAD and NACDG), and community-driven databases validated by healthcare professionals.

I review and update the databases approximately quarterly, incorporating new research findings and community feedback. For a full list of sources, including research on Malassezia lipid metabolism and clinical contact dermatitis guidelines, visit the References page.

Privacy Matters

I believe your skincare data is personal and sensitive. Acrylis runs entirely in your browser — your ingredient lists are never sent to any server, stored in any database, or shared with anyone. The tool requires no account, no sign-up, and collects no personal information. I don't think you should have to trade your privacy for convenience, especially when it comes to your health.