Cosmetics are defined as "articles with mild action on the human body, which are intended to be applied to the human body through rubbing, sprinkling or other methods, aiming to clean, beautify and increase the attractiveness, alter the appearance or to keep the skin or hair in good condition (The Pharmaceutical Affairs Law: Article 2)." Consequently, they include personal hygiene products such as shampoos,
soaps and
toothpaste. In Europe, 1% of the population is estimated to be allergic to fragrances and 2-3% to ingredients of
cosmetics; 10% of outpatients patch-tested for
cosmetics allergy were found to be positive. Allergenic ingredients of
cosmetics can be fragrances,
hair dye, preservatives,
antioxidants,
emollients,
surfactants, UV absorbers, pigments or resins used in nail
cosmetics. Among standard
allergen series, eight substances are related to
cosmetics; in Japan in 2003,
p-phenylenediamine (
hair dyes) induced
allergic reactions with the highest rate of 7.9% in outpatients patch-tested (n=805), followed by fragrance mix No. 1 (4.0%, mixture of eight fragrances frequently used),
colophony (3.2%, main contents of
pine resin),
lanolin alcohol (2.7%,
emollients), and
formaldehyde,
parabens,
Kathon CG (2.7% ,1.9% and 1.0%, respectively; preservatives). Cosmetic
allergy symptoms tend to be mild except those caused by
hair dye. However, the population exposed to
cosmetics is huge and the number of ingredients used in
cosmetics increased up to more than 6000. Here, major cosmetic ingredient
allergens, mainly reported in Japan, are reviewed and discussed.