Contact allergy to popular perfumes; assessed by patch test, use test and chemical analysis.

The frequency of contact allergy to the 10 best-selling women's perfumes was studied in 335 consecutive female eczema patients by patch testing. The diagnostic ability of the fragrance mix, in relation to these products, was evaluated. Of eczema patients, 6.9% had a positive patch test to one or more of the perfumes, and 56.5% of these had a concurrent positive reaction to the fragrance mix. Hence, testing with the patients' own cosmetics is a significant part of diagnosing perfume allergy. The clinical relevance of the patch-test reactions to the commercial perfumes was equal to that of the fragrance mix, as judged from the patient's history and use testing with one of the perfumes. At least three of the chemically defined sensitizers in the fragrance mix were detected in all the perfumes by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which indicates that the fragrance mix is a good imitation of actual exposure.