Lysdal SH, Johansen JD.
University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark.
Contact Dermatitis 2009;61:320–4.
Editor’s note: The authors of this article conducted a survey via a postal questionnaire to investigate whether patients diagnosed with fragrance contact allergy use scented products, how they identify tolerated products, and whether fragrance allergy affects their daily living. Overall, 117 of the 147 patients who were contacted responded to the questionnaire; 56.4% of those who responded were allergic to one or more of the following individual fragrance ingredients: hydoxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, isoeugenol, hydroxycitronellal, and/or
Evernia prunastri. Ninety-six patients (82.1%) reported some degree of active eczema; the hands were affected in 53.8% of patients, 33.3% had eczema on the face, and 42.7% showed eczema in multiple locations. Most respondents (n=101) reported that they read the ingredient labeling of cosmetics; 84 patients (83.2%) used the ingredient labeling to check if a product contained a perfume and 36 (35.6%) checked for the presence of specific fragrance ingredients. Fifty-three patients (45.3%) found some scented products that they could tolerate, 37 (31.6%) had not tried to find any tolerated perfumed product, and 26 (22%) had tried but failed to find a scented product that they could tolerate. Overall, 45.3% found that fragrance allergy significantly affected their daily living and 17.1% reported sick-leave from work due to fragrance allergy.