Peter A. Young, MPAS: Allergic Contact Dermatitis and Personal Care Products

In an interview with HCPLive, Peter A. Young, MPAS, discussed his team’s research into personal care products (PCPs), such as lotions and fragrances, containing ingredients which may lead to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD).

Young and Haiwen Gui, both of Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology, led their research team in assessing contact allergens in personal care products labeled ‘natural’ (NCPS).

“I have, pretty frequently, patients that complain of skin issues, irritation, redness, rashes,” Young said. “And when we discuss the possible triggers or causes, then they’re very confident the trigger or cause could not be related to the products that they use on their skin because they only use ‘natural’ skincare products.”

Young added that after discussing this situation with several of his patients, he realized there may be some value in evaluating allergens and their relationship with NCPS.

This led to his team investigating 1651 NPCPs that met exclusion criteria, finding that 1555 were composed of ≥1 contact allergen. The investigators also found that 1478 had ≥1 allergen listed in the Contact Allergy Management Program (CAMP) set of 100 most prevalent clinically.

The team also found that 96 out of the 1651 NPCPs analyzed were found to contain no contact allergens.

“The claim on a product label of being ‘natural’ is pretty unregulated,” Young added. “Skincare products are not food and they’re not drugs, and so they’re not really regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in our country. Because of that, companies can put a lot of things on the label that aren’t necessarily subject to a rigorous screening process or a rigorous governing process.”

The investigators’ research may help health care providers to better direct consumers toward personal car product purchases that could lead to fewer cases of ACD and other reactions to allergens.

Watch the full interview with Young above to learn more about the team’s findings.