Drug & supplement interaction

Shellac + Simethicone

Simethicone brand names: Mylicon, Maalox Anti-Gas, Ovol, Mylanta Gas Max Strength.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Shellac and Simethicone in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first.

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Interaction report

Shellac and Simethicone

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Simethicone and Shellac in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Shellac at all — not against Simethicone, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Shellac safety at a glance

Shellac overall Use caution Generally regarded as safe as a coating in small amounts, but it is insect-derived and rare reactions can occur.
Pregnancy Use caution Likely fine in the tiny amounts used as a coating, but there is little specific safety data, so check with your doctor.
Breastfeeding Use caution Little specific data exists; the small amounts in coatings are unlikely to be a concern but caution is wise.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Simethicone and Shellac? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Shellac Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Simethicone. It is the side-effect record for Shellac on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Shellac, this list is the first place to look.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    “Topically, there are numerous reports of allergic contact dermatitis and allergic contact cheilitis associated with shellac. Most cases of allergic dermatitis are related to shellac in mascara, especially Maybelline Great Lash mascara. However, cases of allergic contact dermatitis associated with shellac in tattoo ink and shellac in hair spray have been reported.”

    Shellac · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    6 sources cited
    1. 104260. González-Villanueva I, Hispn Ocete P, Silvestre Salvador JF. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by a black tattoo ink in a patient allergic to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2016;75(4):247-8. PubMed
    2. 104262. Shaw T, Oostman H, Rainey D, Storrs F. A rare eyelid dermatitis allergen: shellac in a popular mascara. Dermatitis. 2009;20(6):341-5. DOI
    3. 104263. Gallo R, Marro I, Pavesi A. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in mascara. Contact Dermatitis. 2005;53(4):238. PubMed
    4. 104264. Strauss RM, Orton DI. Allergic contact cheilitis in the United Kingdom: a retrospective study. Am J Contact Dermat. 2003;14(2):75-7. DOI
    5. 104265. Orton DI, Salim A, Shaw S. Allergic contact cheilitis due to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2001;44(4):250. PubMed
    6. 112297. Navarro-Triviño FJ. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in an ecological hair spray occurring in a patient with frontal fibrosing alopecia. Contact Dermatitis 2022;86(6):544-545. PubMed

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Shellac — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Simethicone to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Simethicone.

From our Q&A

Questions About Shellac or Simethicone

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Shellac or Simethicone, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Simethicone

This page covers Shellac only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Simethicone page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Simethicone page

“Every interaction listed for simethicone (Mylicon, Maalox Anti-Gas, Ovol) involves how medicines behave in the gut, and one of them calls for real caution. Activated charcoal, the sole major-rated entry, adsorbs a wide range of drugs and can blunt their effect, which matters for a gas remedy that does all of its work inside the digesti…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Simethicone interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Shellac and Simethicone Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Shellac
Top half

#689 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Simethicone
Steady interest

#2,041 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Shellac reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Shellac and Simethicone records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Shellac

What is Shellac?

Shellac
  • Coating for tablets and capsules
  • Glaze on candy and chocolates
  • Protective film over pills and supplements
  • Enteric-style coating to delay dissolving
  • Shiny coating on fruits and confections

Shellac is a natural resin made from the secretions of the lac insect, and it is used mainly as a glaze or coating on pills, candy, and some supplements rather than as an active ingredient you take for a health benefit. In the small amounts used for coatings it is generally considered safe for most people, but those avoiding insect-derived products or with known sensitivities may want to steer clear.

Resinous secretion of the lac insect (Kerria lacca) · Tablet and capsule coatings, candy and pill glazes, food glaze (confectioner's glaze)

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Shellac is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Shellac record says about it on its own.

Shellac: dosing

There is no established therapeutic dose for shellac, because it is not taken as an active ingredient. It is used in whatever small amount is needed to coat or glaze a product.If you are choosing a supplement, you do not need to dose shellac itself.

From our Shellac monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Shellac monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Simethicone

What Is Simethicone Used For?

Brand names: Mylicon, Maalox Anti-Gas, Ovol, Mylanta Gas Max Strength

Simethicone relieves the uncomfortable pressure, bloating, and full or stuffed feeling that comes from trapped gas. Gas can build up after eating certain foods or from swallowing air.

Infant-specific products — including Mylicon Infants Gas Relief, Walgreens Infants Dye Free Gas Relief, and similar infant drops and suspensions — are used to relieve gas discomfort in babies frequently caused by air swallowing or certain formulas or foods.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Simethicone

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (8,245 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Chronic kidney disease 1,159 reports
Nausea 723 reports
Diarrhea 673 reports
Fatigue 644 reports
Acute kidney injury 633 reports
See full Simethicone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Shellac

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Shellac — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Shellac References

The 8 references that drive our Shellac monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. González-Villanueva I, Hispn Ocete P, Silvestre Salvador JF. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by a black tattoo ink in a patient allergic to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2016;75(4):247-8. PubMed
  3. Shaw T, Oostman H, Rainey D, Storrs F. A rare eyelid dermatitis allergen: shellac in a popular mascara. Dermatitis. 2009;20(6):341-5. DOI
  4. Gallo R, Marro I, Pavesi A. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in mascara. Contact Dermatitis. 2005;53(4):238. PubMed
  5. Strauss RM, Orton DI. Allergic contact cheilitis in the United Kingdom: a retrospective study. Am J Contact Dermat. 2003;14(2):75-7. DOI
  6. Orton DI, Salim A, Shaw S. Allergic contact cheilitis due to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2001;44(4):250. PubMed
  7. Navarro-Triviño FJ. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in an ecological hair spray occurring in a patient with frontal fibrosing alopecia. Contact Dermatitis 2022;86(6):544-545. PubMed
  8. Mercader-García P, Ruiz-Gonzalez I, Gonzalez-Perez R, Sanz-Sanchez T, Sanchez-Pérez J, Borrego L; en representación de REIDAC. Contact Allergy to Shellac. Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study With Data From the Spanish Registry of Research in Contact Derma

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Shellac and Simethicone Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Shellac with Simethicone?
We do not list a known interaction between Shellac and Simethicone. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Does Simethicone interact with any supplements?
Yes. Simethicone has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Shellac is not one of them. The Simethicone interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Simethicone and Shellac?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.