I find if any topical irritates me it never gets better; the irritation gets worse. I'm not talking about stinging, like with Witch Hazel it will sting it applied to symptomatic skin, but it is not an allergic reaction it is just that the skin is compromised. Witch Hazel doesn't sting healthy skin. Many allergies take time to show up. So you could be allergic to this treatment. Read all ingredients. If not listed contact the manufacturer. You need to have both active and inactive ingredients to research. To test if this in an allergy try rubbing some inside your elbow for 2 weeks and see what happens.