Cosmetic Contact Sensitivity and Patch Testing

Cosmetic contact dermatitis is a common condition encountered by the patients and dermatologists owing to the increased use of cosmetics. The presentation can vary from a mild skin rash to severe life threatening conditions like angioedema. Early diagnosis and identification of the causative allergen remain the keystone to prevent recurrences. A cosmetic product may contain numerous chemical agents hence patch testing is an important tool to identify the causative agent. We studied the clinical patterns of cosmetic dermatitis and tried to identify the various allergens in the implicated cosmetic products by patch testing.