By Jane Collingwood
Allergy to perfume may be more widespread than previously thought, says an expert.
She also warns that even natural aromatic oils, often thought harmless, can cause allergic reactions such as eczema.
Dr Lina Hagvall of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden says that about one in five adults in northern Europe suffer from an allergy when they are in contact with certain chemicals. In the case of perfumes, particles that can trigger allergies are made by the reaction of the perfume with air, or with skin enzymes.
Dr Hagvall looked at lavender oil and found that, although it is natural, these allergic particles still develop. The same thing occurs with geraniol, a common constituent of perfumes such as rose oil.
Her experiments show for the first time that these particles develop. They suggest that more perfumes than formerly believed can be activated into allergens.
The project "underlines the importance of oxidative activation when assessing the toxicity of fragrance chemicals," she writes. "Such risks must be factored into health risk assessments of chemicals relating to contact allergy."
Dr Hagvall believes that it is vital to investigate how all perfumes react with air or on skin. She adds that more studies should be done to increase our knowledge about so-called "natural" perfumes, and to reduce the number of eczema cases.
This work could be useful when setting regulations on the use of fragrances in consumer products, she concludes.
Hagvall, L. Thesis: Formation of Skin Sensitizers from Fragrance Terpenes via Oxidative Activation Routes. Chemical analysis, Structure Elucidation and Experimental Sensitization Studies. The University of Gothenburg, January 8, 2009.
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