Contactallergie voor parfumgrondstoffen - 2. Recente ontwikkelingen

This article discusses new developments in fragrance contact allergy. In 2008, two patch test substances were added to the European baseline series: hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (Lyral®) (5% pet) and the fragrance mix II (14% pet), consisting of 1% citral, 0.5% citronellol, 2.5% coumarin, 2.5% farnesol, 5% hexyl cinnamal and 2.5% Lyral®. With these allergens, a considerable number of individuals hypersensitive to fragrances, who do not react to the other indicator for fragrance allergy, the fragrance mix I, may be identified. Lyral® is by far the most frequent allergen, which is strongly associated with dermatitis from deodorants and which may be found in many perfumes for both men and women. Recent EU legislation now requires that cosmetic products and detergents must be labeled for 26 individual named fragrances, when present at concentrations of >10 parts per million in leave-on (0.001%) and > 100 ppm (0.01%) in rinse-off products. This includes all constituents of the fragrance mixes I and II. As a consequence, the finding of a positive reaction to the fragrance mix I and/or II should be followed by testing their individual ingredients to identify the exact allergen(s). Information on the products will then enable the patients to search for products not containing the fragrances to which he or she is allergic. The fragrance Evernia furfuracea (tree moss) appears to induce many patch test reactions that are not detected by the fragrance mix. Routine testing of this allergen may result in identifying more patients suffering from fragrance allergy.