Quantitative relationships between patch test reactivity and use test reactivity: an overview

In vivo studies of substances used in the cosmetic industry

Cosmetic producers are obliged to guarantee the safety and stability of their products. The current legal regulations are based on the European Union Directive (1223/2009) of 30 November 2009. The main aim of the directive is to formulate criteria of safety of a cosmetic product and requirements that it must meet to be placed on the market. A new cosmetic product is subjected to thorough investigation prior to its introduction on the market. It should be studied not only with respect to its safety, but also with respect to its effectiveness declared by the producer. The studies are performed in vivo, by the contact or epidermal patch tests on the human skin.

Contact dermatitis: a practice parameter-update 2015

This parameter was developed by the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters, which represents the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI); the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI); and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The AAAAI and the ACAAI have jointly accepted responsibility for establishing "Contact Dermatitis: A Practice Parameter-Update 2015." This is a complete and comprehensive document at the current time. The medical environment is changing and not all recommendations will be appropriate or applicable to all patients. Because this document incorporated the efforts of many participants, no single individual, including members serving on the Joint Task Force, are authorized to provide an official AAAAI or ACAAI interpretation of these practice parameters. Any request for information or interpretation of this practice parameter by the AAAAI or ACAAI should be directed to the Executive Offices of the AAAAI, the ACAAI, and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. These parameters are not designed for use by the pharmaceutical industry in drug development or promotion. Previously published practice parameters of the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters for Allergy & Immunology are available at http://www.JCAAI.org or http://www.allergyparameters.org.

Dermatotoxicologic clinical solutions: hair dying in hair dye allergic patients?

This article describes how to identify allergic contact dermatitis resulting from hair dye, and outlines interventions and prevention principles for those who wish to continue dyeing their hair despite being allergic. Hair dye chemicals thought to be the most frequent sensitizers are discussed with instructions for health care providers on how to counsel patients about techniques to minimize exposure to allergenic substances. This framework should allow many patients to continue dyeing their hair without experiencing adverse side effects.

Allergic contact dermatitis: immune system involvement and distinctive clinical cases

The aim of this review is drawing the attention to the contact dermatitis, an inflammatory skin condition due to pro-inflammatory and toxic factors able to activate the skin innate immunity (irritant contact dermatitis) or caused by a T-cell- mediated hypersensitivity reaction (allergic contact dermatitis). The immune system involvement and a variety of clinical pictures are described in order to better diagnose, prevent and treat allergic contact dermatitis.

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by farnesol: clinical relevance

CONTEXT

The fragrance material farnesol is cited as an infrequent but important cause of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). It is included in the fragrance mix II patch series and requires labeling in the European Union if it is used in a consumer product.

OBJECTIVE

To review the existing literature to determine the causative role of farnesol in clinical contact allergy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Survey of the literature on farnesol studies; predictive and clinical elicitation tests in case reports, reviews, and abstracts.

RESULTS

Predictive animal studies demonstrated in most cases that farnesol was a nonsensitizer. However, 2 local lymph node assays (LLNAs) indicated strong sensitization potential. Predictive human test data indicated a low potential, if any, for sensitization in human tests with farnesol at 10% or 12%. A few clinical reports indicated low-level allergy or questionable reactions to farnesol, with 5% being the most commonly used. There were also reports in which no reactions were seen.

DISCUSSION

Predictive testing on farnesol in animals shows conflicting results depending on the study methodology used. Human predictive patch-test data also had gaps that prevented it from being definitive in pointing to a causative relationship between farnesol and contact dermatitis. The real sensitizing potential of a material can best be determined by evaluating the clinical and epidemiological data so as to help resolve the conflicting animal and human predictive test data.

CONCLUSIONS

This literature and scoring exercise showed that predictive and clinical elicitation data do not document a clear causative determination that farnesol is a frequent contact allergen. Detailed clinical relevance and patient studies should clarify the clinical problem farnesol represents.