Influence of Cosmetic Type and Distribution Channel on the Presence of Regulated Fragrance Allergens: Study of 2044 Commercial Products.

Contact dermatitis linked to cosmetic products is a very common reason for visits to the dermatologist, and in more than half the cases, it is due to an allergic reaction. Fragrances are most often the culprit. The aim of the study was to describe the common fragrance allergens in different categories of cosmetic products available on the European market. We wanted to assess the influence of cosmetic type and distribution channel on the presence of fragrance allergens. There are the allergens whose concentration exceeds 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products. A total of 2044 commercial hygiene, care, and makeup cosmetic products were analyzed to specifically study regulated fragrance allergens. The influence that the product category and its distribution channel (retail stores and specialized stores such as beauty institutes or hairdressers and pharmacy) have on the prevalence of these allergens was evaluated. The Kruskal-Wallis test has been used for statistical data analysis. There is a wide range of fragrance allergens, the most common being limonene (found in about 30% of products tested), linalool (just over a quarter of the products tested), and benzyl alcohol (approximately 16% of the products tested). The average number of allergens found and their nature varies depending on the type of product in question (maximum number for shampoos and oral care with about 70 allergens and minimum number for nail polish and makeup for eyes with fewer than 10 allergens). In the area of hygiene, deodorants and oral hygiene products are particularly noteworthy, the former for their significantly high number of allergens and the latter for their low number. There is also a significant difference between the number of allergens found in eye makeup and foundations. Our results indicate that the number of regulated fragrance allergens is particularly influenced by the type of products.

Investigation of the adjuvant and immuno-suppressive effects of benzyl butyl phthalate, phthalic acid and benzyl alcohol in a murine injection model.

In a recent study, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, were shown to possess adjuvant effect [Toxicology 169 (2001) 37; Toxicology Letters 125 (2001) 11]. The present study investigates the adjuvant effect of another important commercial phthalate plasticizer, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) as well as its degradation products, phthalic acid and benzyl alcohol (BA) in a murine model. The model antigen, ovalbumin (OA), was injected either alone (OA control group), together with one of the test substances (test group) or together with aluminium hydroxide, which served as the positive adjuvant control. The mice were boosted either once or twice with OA before blood was collected and assayed for the content of OA-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies by ELISA methods. Adjuvant effect was defined as a statistically significant increased antibody level in the test groups compared with the OA control group. Conversely, if the antibody production in a test group was significantly lower than the OA control group, it was deemed to be immunosuppression. This study demonstrated that BBP, in contrast to DEHP, did not possess adjuvant effect. Furthermore, immunosuppression was apparent in the case of BA. The study also demonstrated that if the injections give rise to formation of wounds, it may cause false positive results.