These are the questions we hear a lot, and you'll find the answers below. But if you have others, please don't hesitate to contact us — we're here to help You

The oat (avena sativa) is a cereal grain grown and harvested for its seeds, which are used in a wide variety of products, including food, agriculture, health and skincare products.

Colloidal oatmeal, the compound utilised in COATS® gloves, is made by milling the oat seeds into a fine powder. Colloidal oatmeal is recognised by the FDA as a skin protectant. COATS® gloves utilise the unique benefits of colloidal oatmeal by including a coating of colloidal oatmeal inside the glove. COATS® gloves moisturise your hands while you wear them, replacing moisture stripped from the skin, removing dead skin cells, relieving itch and irritation, repairing damages from other chemicals and calming the skin

Gluten is a mixture of proteins that occur naturally in wheat, rye, barley and crossbreeds of these grains.³ Gluten can be found in foods containing these ingredients, including bread, pasta, cakes, cereal and various sauces and dressings.⁴ For most people, gluten is entirely safe to eat, and is a healthy source of protein and fibre. However, for people who suffer from coeliac disease, gluten can cause serious medical problems.⁴

Coeliac is a medical disease in which the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel damage. Coeliac disease is a genetic predisposition, meaning people who suffer from the disease are born with genes that may result in the development of gluten intolerance. Coeliac disease is estimated to affect 1% - 2% of the population.⁵ If undiagnosed, coeliac disease can lead to chronic system inflammation, poor nutrition and malabsorption of nutrients. Coeliac disease cannot be cured, thus people who suffer from this disease must maintain a lifelong gluten–free diet.⁶

Oats do not naturally contain gluten. However, due to the demands of the modern agricultural market, oat crops are often grown in close proximity to, or on plots of land previously used to grow, wheat, barley and rye crops, which may lead to cross-contamination

Yes. While minute traces of gluten due to cross-contamination may be in the colloidal oatmeal coating of COATS® gloves, topical exposure to gluten is completely safe for coeliac sufferers. According to the Centre for Coeliac Research, “…it is the oral ingestion of gluten that activates the immunological cascades leading to the autoimmune process typical of coeliac disease”.⁷ That is, the adverse symptoms associated with coeliac disease occur only when gluten is ingested orally. The presence of gluten in products designed for external use, in particular the application of gluten products to the skin has been deemed safe by the Centre for Coeliac Research. “If you have coeliac disease, then the application of gluten containing products to the skin should not be a problem, unless you have skin lesions that allow gluten to be absorbed systematically in great quantities” – Dr Alessio Fasano, Medical Director of the Centre for Coeliac Research.⁷ In fact, it is generally agreed that gluten molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin.⁸ As always, you should practice appropriate hand washing techniques as part of routine hygiene practices when you anticipate contact with potentially infectious people or substances