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

Abstract

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