Peanut oil frequently asked questions

The biggest study that tried to find out whether refined peanut oil is safe took place in 1997 in Southampton. 60 adults with peanut allergy were given refined peanut oil and then unrefined peanut oil. None had allergic reactions to the refined peanut oil and six had mild allergic reactions to the unrefined peanut oil. The way peanut oil is refined has not changed since the 1990s so there’s no reason to think that these results are not still valid.

It would be impossible to find out whether refined peanut oil is 100% safe because it would mean testing everybody with a peanut allergy. The sample of 60 people in the Southampton study is enough to confidently say that refined peanut oil is likely to be safe for most people with peanut allergy. A more recent study also confirmed that it’s very unlikely that refined peanut oil could cause a reaction even if you have experienced serious allergic reactions to small amounts of peanut in the past.

Most allergy experts also agree that refined peanut oil is very unlikely to cause allergic reactions. But it is up to you as an individual with peanut allergy, or as parents or guardians of a young child with peanut allergy, to weigh up the evidence and decide if you want to include it in your diet or avoid it.

All peanuts and products made from peanuts are included in the list of top 14 major food allergens in the UK. This means they must be highlighted on ingredients labels, in bold for example.

Even though the evidence tells us there is very little risk from refined peanut oil, the law still requires that it is listed and emphasised, in bold for example, on ingredients labels.

It may not always be obvious from the label of bottled peanut oil whether it’s refined or unrefined.  If in doubt, always check with the manufacturer.

Because it’s stable, refined peanut oil is often used as a base in pharmaceutical products. It’s labelled with its Latin name, Arachis oil. Products can include:

• vitamins
• ear drops
• nappy rash creams
• sun creams
• eye pencils.

Some allergy experts think there may be a link between eczema or nappy creams that contain peanut oil and the development of peanut allergy in some young children. This may be because tiny amounts of peanut protein are present – not enough to cause allergic reactions but enough, in some cases, to “set up” an allergy to peanuts if the cream is put on broken skin (to soothe eczema or nappy rash for example).

There is no evidence that this does happen, but if you have allergies in your family you might prefer to avoid using creams containing peanut oil on babies and young children just in case.