CD10 (P75) Are ‘hypoallergenic’ personal care products truly safe?

Abstract It is estimated that one-fifth of the general population may have allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) to common environmental allergens. Skincare companies are increasingly advertising their products as ‘hypoallergenic’, targeting consumers who seek personal care (PCPs) less likely cause an reaction. However, there no Food and Drug Administration standards regulate use term hypoallergenic, allowing manufacturers freely. We evaluated PCPs marketed hypoallergenic from two health beauty retailers in UK for presence allergens British Society Cutaneous Allergy (BSCA) baseline series. Product ingredient lists were obtained www.boots.com www.superdrug.com November 2022 using search box. without product description, unrelated (plasters, jewellery, sanitary towels, tampons, clothing facial brushes) duplicates (same different sizes) excluded. In total, 208 met inclusion criteria: 47 (22.6%) rinse-off 161 (77.4%) leave-on products. At least one substance BSCA series was 79 (38.0%) PCPs. Of these, 54 (26.0%) had potential allergen, 21 (10.2%) two, four (1.9%) three The frequently encountered cetearyl alcohol paraben mix, found 42 (20.4%) 37 (18.0%) products, respectively. Other identified included 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, lanolin, decyl glucoside, diazolidinyl urea, methylisothiazolinone, limonene linalool. addition, chemicals related cross-react with Parfum/fragrance, which can crossreact fragrance mix I II, 85 (41.3%) Sodium benzoate and/or benzoic acid, often used preservatives PCPs, 66 (32.0%) Forty (19.4%) ingredients belong Asteraceae family therefore trigger ACD those positive reaction Compositae sesquiterpene lactone mix. Twenty-three (11.2%) contained cetyl stearyl alcohol, major components alcohol. Overall, 153 (74.3%) 206 or them. This highlights need increase public awareness education about dangers purchasing ‘hypoallergenic’