The answer to this question, like some of the other metal earrings we've talked about, is: it's complicated.
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First and foremost, the term hypoallergenic earrings is complicated because it is essentially a marketing term that does not have a lot of meaning behind it. It literally means that they earrings are less likely to cause an allergic reaction, but it is often interpreted or marketed as meaning "will not cause a reaction." Because of this, people are misled into purchasing hypoallergenic earrings that still cause painful reactions.
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Titanium in its pure form is a non-reactive and biocompatible metal. This means that it can be in contact with the human body and coexist peacefully. Most of the other metals are reactive, so if they are in contact with the human body for an extended period of time the body will build up a intolerance to them and a contact allergy will develop. Because of titanium's unique, nonallergenic properties, it is the metal of choice for medical implants because it can live inside the body without causing reactions. Studies have been done by the dental industry to determine the percentage of people who are allergic to titanium and results have been inconclusive but they say that an allergy to titanium is very rare.
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The answer becomes complicated however, because "titanium earrings" are sometimes made with an alloy of titanium. An alloy is a mix of two or more metals. In this case, you may think you are having a reaction to titanium, when in fact there are other elements in the earrings that are causing an allergy. Often companies will say their earrings are made with titanium or titanium posts, when in fact they are made of a titanium alloy that contains titanium in addition to other, potentially reactive, metals.
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At Tini Lux, we use unalloyed, commercially pure titanium. Since our earrings are unalloyed titanium, our earrings are not just hypoallergenic, they are actually biocompatible and nonallergenic. As we mentioned above, titanium allergies are extremely rare. Titanium is trusted by medical professionals all over the world for use in medical implants. If you have any questions about titanium, please email us at info@tinilux.com
