• Juan García-Gavín, Sara Vansina, Stefan Kerre, Alix Naert, and An Goossens.
• Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, University of Santiago de Compostela, University Hospital Complex, Spain.
• Contact Derm. 2010 Aug 1; 63 (2): 96-101.

BackgroundA few cases on primary sensitization by, and occupational contact dermatitis from, methylisothiazolinone in paints and glues have been published. In cosmetics, methylisothiazoline (MI) is permitted in a concentration of 100 p.p.m., while 15 p.p.m. for the mixture of methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazoline (MCI/MI).ObjectivesTo present cases of sensitization to, and allergic contact dermatitis from, cosmetic products containing methylisothiazolinone only.Patients, Materials, And MethodsSeven patients with suspected contact dermatitis - six of them with (peri-)anal lesions and one with facial dermatitis - were patch tested with the baseline series, the own products exposed to, cosmetic ingredients, as well as with methylisothiazolinone 1000 p.p.m. and MCI/MI 200 p.p.m.ResultsThe patients with anal lesions had become sensitized by wipes for intimate hygiene, and one patient with facial dermatitis by a make-up remover, all containing methylisothiazolinone only. Three out of seven cases would have been missed if only MCI/MI 100 p.p.m., as present in the baseline series, had been tested.ConclusionThe inclusion of methylisothiazolinone as a preservative in cosmetics might not represent the solution to the problem of allergic contact dermatitis from isothiazolinones, since it leads to primary sensitization.

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