It turns out that the set of The White Lotus was equally as chaotic off screen as it was on. For anyone who watched this month’s Emmys, you’d likely remember one of the evenings highlights: Jennifer Coolidge. Nabbing herself an award for her role as HBO’s Tanya McQuoid, the actress told the crowd, “I took a lavender bath tonight right before the show and it made me swell up inside my dress.”
Though in the moment this confession felt slightly random (albeit hilarious) we’ve now got a little bit of context, and it turns our Jennifer has been battling quite the string of allergic reactions to beauty products, in particular fake tan. In fact, one recent reaction was so severe it landed her in the ER.
The story behind Jennifer’s allergic reaction…
Speaking with Allure, Jennifer recalled her very memorable first day at work. “I didn’t want to look like a big, white marshmallow on the beach in Hawaii,” she said, speaking of her arrival to The White Lotus set. “So I got a spray tan.”
A pretty standard chain of events, until, “I got on the plane and I started to feel really weird. By the time I got off the flight, I had to go to the emergency room,” she recalled.
Unfortunately for Jennifer, her sensitivities to cosmetic products didn’t stop there. As soon as the cameras would stop rolling, Jennifer would have to be diligent with her makeup removal to avoid a flare-up. “The minute we stopped filming I would shower,” she said. “I have such a quick reaction to stuff.”
This sequence of allergic reactions (which have supposedly only begun over the last five or six years) led Jennifer down a path of being more mindful of the ingredients she’s using on her skin and seeking out cleaner alternatives.
“Even the clean brands are not all the way clean. They still have things in them that shouldn’t be in there. You realise it’s maybe not good for our health to be using all that stuff.”
Some of her favourites? Westman Atelier and RMS were both touted by the actress for their foundation formulations.
Westman Atelier Vital Stick ($102, MECCA) and RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up Cream Foundation ($78 at MECCA)
Have you ever had an allergic reaction to a beauty product? If so, what was it and what happened?
As soon as I saw her I thought of “Stifler’s mum” haha, showing my age
She’ll always be Stifler’s mum, haha! I love her!
I always think of ‘bend, and snap’ lol
AHahhaha same here !!
I did recently try an exfoliating cleanser and I was probably using it too much- morning and night – one of my cheeks got sensitive in a spot right in the middle of my cheek – I have had this before and it could have been due to my dental appointment and his needle of anaesthetic that caused it but I’ve been using a calming serum and it tamed it down right away!
I cannot use a harsh defoliant so have to exfoliate less often and use a gentle product
Glad you found something to help Clearcrystalwater.
oh okay thanks for the tip i might get it
Can’t remember to have any allergic reaction to anything and I used plenty of stuff through the years, many of them containing nasties in the past.
You are lucky. I must admit that I dont have many problems with allergic reactions.
I rarely have reactions to skin products, but this article is a reminder that I should still be mindful of ingredients.
Yes like food allergies you can get really bad reactions
Food allergies are awful and skin allergies must be just as bad??
Nothing comes to mind for myself.
I wouldn’t say it’s an allergic reaction but I’ve had a few products cause stinging around my nose and mouth area before.
Possibly too stringent for your skin
yeah agreed try a gentle cleanser
Ouch poor lady. I loved her in Two Broke Girls.
I’ve had a reaction to many, my skin feels rough, dry, red and sore. Sometimes products for sensitive skin still irritate me.
As I have dry sensitive skin I stop using any product is it irritates -Over the years this has happened a lot so I look for products labelled sensitive
Wow that’s scary! Glad she’s better
same here
I feel so sorry for her. She will have to be vigilent about what she uses on her skin from now on.
It must be really troubling to be so allergic to products, she would have to be so careful.
Oh no, I would have been worried too.
Her hair is so lovely. Must spend a fair bit of time on keeping it looking so good.
I was allergic on most things, perfumes etc. Changed the diet, all my allergies and reactions gone! Now I shower with perfumes of all kinds, slather anything on face, hair body, no worries haha
That’s awesome!
Wow, Yohanna, that’s incredible. Just shows how important it is to take notice of how your body is reacting.
oh wow never thought of changing that
I haven’t had an allergic reaction to anything so far.
Allergies are becoming more prevalent & it’s a problem. Some scents trigger a migraine for me, otherwise, I don’t get reactions to beauty products.
same here with certain scents causing migraines. The worst!
I have had reactions from different products in the past but not so much now, skin has settled which is great.
I wouldn’t say I’ve had allergic reactions to products before, but I definitely can & do react to stuff over time. It’s incredibly frustrating when you think you’ve found a good product, only for your skin to eventually hate it (am convinced something isn’t right with me).
the same thing happened to me it was so sad
I have sensitive skin so always do the 24hour reaction test before slathering anything on and often the reaction is to something like shampoo or shower Gel.
My reactions to medication are truly frightening and I have ended up in hospital with breathing problems, slow heart rate and chest pains, so I’m very wary.
same here
People without allergies or sensitivities have no idea how these can affect the skin
honestly !!!
Ooh not nice, never had a spray tan
Jennifer Coolidge has had some scary times especially with allergic reactions to various skincare products and tanning products as well. One product that I used thought it would be great Neutrogena Retinol Cream, for some reason every time I tried to use it my face would feel like it’s burning from the Retinol every time I had to scrub it off. Now I am very careful how much retinol is in skincare products. So glad that many products have different percentages of retinol in there serums and creams.
Love her in The White Lotus.
I’ve had severe anaphalaxis before and bad hives but don’t know what causes it which is really frustrating.
might be worth getting it tested
Thankfully I haven’t had any reactions to beauty products and fingers crossed I never do.
I react to topical seaweeds, acids and synthetic fragrances with rashes and irritated skin
Oh wow, its really interesting to know these things about actresses. They are so normal like all of us haha
yeah its so interesting tho
It’s not that unusual to develop sensitivities or allergies as an adult.
yes i’ve got some along the years
now i can’t wear gel hahaha
All I can I think of is bend and snap!
Eeek scary stuff! I love Jennifer, she’s hilarious.
she really is
I don’t believe I have had a reaction to any beauty products.
I have allergic reactions to all sorts of random things, I never know what might set me off. Random things too, like aloe Vera, so weird.
I haven’t had any allergies.
Ouch that doesnt sound very nice. Being an actor I guess she would always need film makeup to that irritates her skin.
I have sensitive skin and so avoid products with fake fragrance and colouring or harsh chemicals.
Dont have to be sensitive it’s best to avoid them anyway, I do and have done for years.
What a terrible experience!
“Clean beauty” has never meant clean. It is a marketing term that is misleading. I also use the RMS foundation daily. It is amazing for dry skin and leave my skin looking naturally unblemished. I kinda wish it weren’t in a tub but it does come with a metallic spatula (that I have unfortunately since lost!).
Must be some nasty chemicals in it, got to be careful.
The headline for this article is so scary!
Not really Surprised by having allergic reactions to Sun Tan ingredients. Thank goodness Jennifer Coolidge eventually got over them. Myself Personally I had a bad reaction to Neutrogena skincare products.
I tried a mascara once that set off a chain reaction of sensitivity to most mascaras, eye pencils etc. I stopped using cosmetics for at least eight months. It took me a long time to find a mascara that I could tolerate but I eventually found one. After using it for a while, I slowly reintroduced other cosmetics and I’ve been fine.
It must be hard having to be so careful with what products you use!
Allergies are so prevalent these days. You have to be so careful if you have any
I remember Ross in Friends,
Having a job that requires her to wear a lot of makeup must be unhelpful, to say the least.
I need to be careful with my eyelids. Some eye products cause my eyelids to swell.
It never happened to me.
My skin stings , gets red and chapped if I use something that does’nt agree with my skin, but thankfully nothing bad enough to put me in hospital. I’ve had quite a few skincare products cause me problems, even ones that are supposedly for sensitive skin.
Glad she was okay
Gosh that’s a bit scary