Contact sensitizers in commercial hair dye products in the Indian market: A consumer exposure study

Background Hair dye is a concoction of various ingredients that can result in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) which is a common problem encountered by dermatologists. Objectives To find out the presence of potent contact sensitizers in commercially available hair dyes in Puducherry, a union territory in South India, and to compare the findings with similar studies conducted in different countries. Methods Ingredients labels of 159 hair dye products from 30 brands that were manufactured and marketed in India screened for the presence of contact sensitizers. Results A total of 25 potent contact sensitizers were found in 159 hair dye products. p‐Phenylenediamine and resorcinol were the most frequent contact sensitizer found in the study. The mean contact sensitizer concentration in a single hair dye product is 3.72 ± 1.81. The number of potent contact sensitizers in individual hair dye products ranged from 1 to 10. Conclusion We observed that most of the consumer‐available hair dyes contain multiple contact sensitizers. Also, an inadequacy in mentioning the p‐Phenylenediamine content, and appropriate warning contents regarding hair dye use were not mentioned in the cartons. This study identifies the potent contact sensitizers in commercially available hair dyes in South India.