Assessment of skin irritancy by 2 short tests compared to acute irritation induced by sodium lauryl sulfate

Irritant contact dermatitis is a very common disease that i. preventable by protective measures The development of screening methods to identify subject with increased susceptibility in irritants is essential in reduce the incidence of this disorder in the workplace On the outlook for such methods. 2 quick non‐invasive tests for irritability of the skin were compared to reliable, but time‐consuming, patch testing with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) In 20 healthy volunteers, 0.5% SLS was applied on the medial 1/3 of the forearm for 23 h in order to induce experimental irritant contact dermatitis. On the same part of the forearm, 3 concentrations of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and a solution of 0.2 mol/1 NaOH were applied for 5 min. Assessment of skin irritability was made by visual scoring and measurement of transepidermal water loss. No correlation between the “Quick tests” and SLS patch testing was found, indicating that tests assess different mechanisms of irritation.