Sulphite Sensitivity and the Skin

Living with sulphite sensitivity: how it shows on the skin, the asthma overlap to know about, and practical ways to avoid sulphites at home and when eating out.

What sulphite sensitivity is

Sulphites are preservatives (E220 to E228) used in wine, dried fruit and many processed foods. Most people handle them fine, but a sensitive minority react. This guide is about living with that sensitivity; for a breakdown of the additive itself, see our sulphites (E220 to E228) guide. Sulphite sensitivity is not a classic food allergy, it is a pseudo-allergic, dose-related reaction, which is why it can come and go depending on how much you have had.

How it shows on the skin

On the skin, sulphites are linked to flushing, hives (urticaria) and itching, often soon after a sulphite-rich food or drink. The reaction tends to track the dose: a small amount may pass unnoticed while a large glass of wine or a handful of dried apricots brings it on.

The asthma overlap to know about

This is the important safety point. Sulphite sensitivity is more common in people with asthma, and in some asthmatics sulphites can trigger wheezing and breathing symptoms, not just skin ones. If you have asthma and notice skin reactions to sulphites, treat any breathing symptoms seriously and discuss it with your doctor, because the airway reaction matters more than the skin one.

Practical ways to avoid sulphites

At home: choose fresh fruit over dried, look for lower-sulphite or “no added sulphite” wines, use freshly squeezed juice rather than bottled, and check labels on pickles, sauces, dried potato products and processed meats. When eating out: dried fruit, wine, some salad bars (sulphites are sometimes used to keep cut produce looking fresh) and certain seafood are the usual culprits, so it is reasonable to ask. Remember sulphites appear in some medicines too.

When to get help

See a GP if hives are frequent or persistent, and seek prompt advice if you ever get wheezing, chest tightness or breathlessness after a sulphite-rich food or drink, especially if you are asthmatic.

Check it against your own list

A free database like Open Food Facts lets you look up a product’s additives, and Fig is genuinely good for managing a defined eating pattern. These give broad information rather than a check against your own skin. To check a product against the specific things that make your skin react, a personal-list app like ClearaScan lets you save your triggers once and scan any product, food, medication or cosmetic, against your ingredient guard list, flagging only yours. Its Reaction Journal lets you tie a flare back to the product that caused it, a shared Care Circle lets family scan for you, and a Trusted Products list keeps what you have cleared. It is currently in early access. (Disclosure: our editor co-founded ClearaScan, and we are not paid to mention the others.)

Written and reviewed by the Sensitive Skin Lab editorial team.