Hair dye allergy in consumers : Evaluation of the allergy alert test
Series/Report no.
RIVM rapport 340300006Type
OnderzoeksrapportLanguage
nlMetadata
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Hair dye allergy in consumers : Evaluation of the allergy alert testTranslated Title
Allergie voor haarkleurstoffen bij consumenten : Evaluatie van de allergietestPubliekssamenvatting
Allergie voor haarkleurstoffen bij consumenten Evaluatie van risico's en voordelen van de allergietest De huidige allergietesten voor haarverf die consumenten via de productinstructie aangeboden krijgen, voldoen niet. In deze testen blijkt namelijk veel variatie voor te komen. De test moet dan ook worden gestandaardiseerd. Dit blijkt uit onderzoek van het RIVM, waarin de voor- en nadelen van de allergietest voor consumenten zijn geëvalueerd. Dit is gedaan op basis van de bestaande opinie van de SCCS (de Europese wetenschappelijke commissie voor consumentenveiligheid), openbare literatuur en interviews met deskundigen.Het RIVM vindt het in principe waardevol dat consumenten van haarverf via de productinstructie wordt geadviseerd eerst een test te doen om vast te stellen of zij voor dit product allergisch zijn. Huidallergie veroorzaakt door haarverf is immers een groot probleem, zowel voor consumenten als kappers. Producenten van haarverf geven in de productinstructie het advies om 48 uur vóór het gebruik van de haarverf te testen of er sprake is van een overgevoeligheid. Deze allergietest is slechts een alarmsignaal waarmee consumenten worden gewaarschuwd om hun haren niet te verven. Ook wordt hen geadviseerd om een dermatoloog te bezoeken voor verder medisch onderzoek.
Tevens blijkt dat niet bekend is of consumenten de test zelf goed kunnen uitvoeren en interpreteren. Aanbevolen wordt dit nader te onderzoeken. Daarnaast wordt aanbevolen om onder consumenten en kappers meer bewustwording te creëren over de risico's van haarverf, bijvoorbeeld door middel van informatiecampagnes.
The allergy alert test advised by manufacturers of hair dyes in their instruction leaflets as a means of testing for hair dye allergy is inadequate in its present form. Standardization of the test protocols is required as these vary significantly between manufacturers. This is the conclusion drawn from the risk/benefit evaluation of the allergy alert test performed by RIVM. This evaluation was based on the current opinion of the SCCS (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety), publicly available literature and interviews with experts in the field of skin allergy.
The induction of contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis by oxidative hair dyes represents a significant health problem among consumers and hairdressers. In this context, the RIVM considers the allergy alert test in principle to be a valuable tool for assessing whether a specific hair dye product can elicit an allergic skin reaction in individual consumers. The instruction leaflets of hair dye products currently recommend that consumers always perform an allergy alert test 48 hours prior to each application of a hair dye product. In case of a positive test result, indicating a possible sensitivity to the hair dye product, consumers are advised not to apply the hair dye product and to seek medical advice to determine the cause of the reaction.
Whether consumers are able to adequately perform and evaluate an allergy alert test is unknown at the present time. It is therefore recommended that the industry further investigates this. It is also recommended that a campaign be launched with the aim of creating more awareness among consumers and hairdressers of the potential risks associated with the use of hair dyes.
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