Study of P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) Concentrations after Hair Dye Mixing: A Call for Safety Reassessment

Ecotoxicity, Health Risks and Contact Allergy Due to p-Phenylenediamine in Hair Dyes and Tattoos: Female Students' Perspectives

While the financial advantages of hair coloring and tattooing are widely acknowledged, environmental hazards and health risks linked to this trend due to their p-phenylenediamine (PPD) content have received less attention. Health education on hair-dying products is warranted to enhance the public's awareness of hair-dying ingredients and their side effects.  A cross-sectional study was therefore conducted with 319 students to assess knowledge of ecotoxicity, health risks, and practices of hair dyeing and tattooing among undergraduate students. A random sample of 59 students was checked for any allergic morphology in the scalp and exposed areas of skin near the neck, ears, palms, and nails. Responses collected were used for data analyses using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17 (Released 2008; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Use of hair dye was significantly high among study participants 58.5% (n=187; p<0.05). However, their knowledge regarding the presence of PPD in hair dyes and associated environmental toxicity (37.8%, n=121) was very limited. The majority of participants did not do any allergy tests before applying hair dye (88.9%, n=283). The study revealed that the main reason for hair coloring was as a fashion statement (93.7%, n=299). Regarding tattooing practices, 96.9% (n=309) of study participants had never practiced tattoos, and hence, the prevalence of tattooing was 3.9% (n=12). These data confirmed that the practice of hair dyeing as a style statement was high among students. However, the majority were unaware of their PPD contents and their potential ecotoxicity and health risks.

Quantification of p-Phenylenediamine in Hair Dyes and Health Risk Implications in the UAE: Describing Discordances Between Regulations and Real-Life Practices

Background

p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) has been used over the past five decades as a primary precursor in the production of oxidative hair dyes. Numerous health dangers are associated with the short- and long-term use of PPD, raising concerns about its safety. For instance, mounting data suggests that PPD is linked to dermatitis and allergy cases.

Objective

To quantify the PPD content in hair dyes by measuring the PPD concentration after mixing the ingredients of commercial hair dyes.

Methods

A total of 290 permanent hair dyes were tested. RP-HPLC-DAD analysis was performed to determine and quantify the PPD content.

Results

The estimated mean of the PPD limit was 0.89 (95% CI [0.81-0.96]). Of the 290 tested hair dyes, 7.2% (n = 21) exceeded the recommended PPD concentration after mixing. Significantly more hair dyes manufactured in India and China had a PPD content exceeding 2% after mixing compared to dyes from other regions (P = 0.001). Moreover, hair dyes manufactured in India and the UAE were more likely to have incomplete descriptions of the conditions of use and warnings on the label (P = 0.002).

Conclusion

The effectiveness of the current regulations relevant to these products should be reevaluated. Moreover, through the use of good manufacturing procedures (GMPs), research, and the reporting of adverse reactions, hair dyes should be subjected to better control and monitoring in terms of their safety and quality.

Occurrence of p-phenylenediamine antioxidants in human urine

General populations are widely exposed to various p-phenylenediamine antioxidants (PPDs). N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), a typical p-phenylenediamine antioxidant, has been detected in human urine samples. However, the occurrence of other widely used PPDs in human urine is still unclear. This study comprehensively characterized the occurrence of 9 PPDs in human urine from 151 Chinese adults. Our results showed that all target PPDs were detected in human urine samples, with the total concentrations of PPDs ranging from 0.41 to 38 ng/mL. PPDs in human urine was dominated by 6PPD (mean 1.2 ng/mL, range < LOD - 3.8 ng/mL), followed by N-phenyl-N'-cyclohexyl-p-phenylenediamine (CPPD; 0.85 ng/mL, Collapse

Key Words

• 6PPD
• Human exposure
• Human urine
• PPDs
• Synthetic antioxidants

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MESH Headings

• Adult
• Humans
• Male
• Female
• Antioxidants
• Phenylenediamines
• Nitro Compounds

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Affiliation(s)

Weili Mao Department of Pharmacy, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang 324000, PR China
Hangbiao Jin Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China; Innovation Research Center of Advanced Environmental Technology, Eco-Industrial Innovation Institute ZJUT, Quzhou, Zhejiang 324400, PR China
Ruyue Guo Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
Ping Chen Department of Pharmacy, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang 324000, PR China
Songyang Zhong Department of Pharmacy, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang 324000, PR China
Xilin Wu Department of Pharmacy, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang 324000, PR China.

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Hair Dyes Sensitization and Cross-Reactions: Challenges and Solutions: A Systematic Review of Hair Dye Allergens' Prevalence

Widespread use of oxidative hair dyes during the past decades has raised questions on the potential allergy reactions and their management, as well as prevention measures for both professionals and consumers. Allergic contact dermatitis can be elicited by various hair dye-related allergens, though the main problem remains with p-phenylenediamine and related aromatic amines. If allergy is suspected, patch testing identifies the responsible hapten. Individuals sensitized to specific permanent hair dyes substances should avoid the exposure to these chemicals, but also be aware of possible cross-sensitization to other similar compounds. Cross-reactions detected in patch-tested populations indicate that one cannot safely use alternatives, although cross-reactivity is not always clinically relevant. An open application hair dye allergy self-test is recommended by manufacturers for early detection of allergy predisposition in consumers, although the lack of standardized conditions makes the efficacy of this process doubtful. Appropriate use of hand gloves, especially nitrile, is the most efficient prevention measure for professional hand eczema. In this systematic review, we focus on cross-reactions among hair dye-related allergens and make an attempt to answer some, frequently encountered by physicians, questions, while presenting the prevalence of the hair dye-related allergens.