Article: 'Natural' skincare products may cause allergy

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I found this article in the Feb. 2002 edition of Dermatology Times. I

thought is might be helpful to someone.

Take care,

Matija

'Natural' skincare products may cause allergy

February 1, 2002

By: Beth A. Kapes

Dermatology Times

Rochester, Minn. - While more and more skincare products are marketed

as natural and safe for sensitive skin, they contain many 'botanical'

substances that can cause allergy or cross-react with existing

allergy to fragrance, Debra D.F. Ahmed, M.D., said.

" In order to be most helpful to our patients (with contact

dermatitis), we need to be well-informed about these trends and be

able to educate our patients about what product options they might

have if they are sensitive to fragrance, or if their cosmetics cause

them to break out, " said Dr. Ahmed, assistant professor of

dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Dr. Ahmed indicated that some of the most typical suspects to

initiate contact dermatitis are perfumes and skincare products

containing fragrances and/or formaldehyde releasers. Hair dyes

related to paraphenylenediamine are also considered a cosmetic and

are often suspect as well.

" The more common botanicals used for screening in patch testing

include the 'Fragrance Mix' (alpha-amyl cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamic

aldehyde and cinnamic alcohol, eugenol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellal,

isoeugenol, and oak moss absolute), " Dr. Ahmed said. " Some of these

have natural sources and some have synthetic sources. Other reported

potential botanical culprits include the 'New Fragrance Mix'

(jasmine, ylang-ylang oil, narcissus absolute, sandalwood oil,

spearmint oil), and tea tree, lavender, and rose oils, and certain

plants from the Compositae family. "

Perfume is the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis, with

50 to 60 percent of allergies to cosmetics involving fragrance. And,

while regulations regarding cosmetic ingredient labeling have been in

place in the United States for 25 years, in terms of fragrance, the

label is only required to state whether fragrance is in the product.

" Recent estimates for the percentage of those in the United States

population affected by sensitivity (both irritation and allergy) to

cosmetics range from 1 to 5 percent, and this may be underestimated, "

Dr. Ahmed said.

The American Academy of Dermatology supports the identification of

common allergens in cosmetics and drugs, and has urged the

collaboration of the Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association,

fragrance trade associations, manufacturers, and the FDA to obtain

agreement on disclosure of fragrance ingredients.

" Although labeling of ingredients is required, I doubt that the same

degree of regulation that applies to medications will be applied to

cosmetics and botanicals used in cosmetics, unless a major problem is

noted and repeatedly reported, " she said.

Recognizing irritants

While allergens and irritants are quite well known and well reported

within the subspecialty of contact dermatitis/cutaneous allergy, Dr.

Ahmed indicated that there continues to be discussion on allergies

and trends that are linked to many culprits in the environment,

including skincare products, particularly at subspecialty meetings.

" We learn to recognize the culprits by listening to our patients, and

to what causes them to break out. We also pursue patch testing to

further delineate the offending allergens, " Dr. Ahmed said. " We learn

by reading the literature that tells us that fragrance,

preservatives, and paraphenylenediamine are among the most common

offending allergens, but many others can and must be considered. "

Dr. Ahmed indicated that the most promising treatments for contact

dermatitis seem to be educating the patients and helping them to

avoid substances that cause problems, with prevention also playing an

important role.

" Those patients who have co-existing atopic dermatitis may benefit

from avoidance of fragrance and certain preservatives so that

allergies don't have a chance to develop, " Dr. Ahmed said. " For

treatment of existing allergic contact dermatitis, topical steroids

are still the mainstay of therapy but need to be selected carefully

and used judiciously to prevent complications from the treatment

itself. "