Prevalence of fragrance allergy.

With the exception of the UK, where fragrance allergy remained fairly constant from the early 1980s until the mid-late 1990s, other centers worldwide (Denmark, Singapore, Slovenia and the USA) reported an increase in fragrance allergy during this period. The ubiquitous nature of fragrance in modern society, coupled with new and growing markets of fragrance products for children and men, likely contribute to this increase. Strict adherence to voluntary guidelines on concentration limits of known fragrance sensitizers in consumer products is necessary. Also, special attention by manufacturers to safety assessments for fragranced products to be used on 'high-risk' areas such as traumatized/dermatitic skin, occluded sites and areas of high absorption is needed.