Pet products are a hidden source of potential allergens, according to research being presented at the British Association of Dermatologists’ Annual Meeting in Liverpool (2nd-4th July 2019).

The lack of regulation around animal care products, such as shampoos and deodorising sprays, is exposing pets and their owners to ingredients which would be banned in equivalent products for people. This has led to concerns that these products have the potential to cause new allergies or trigger pre-existing ones. 

The researchers from the Royal United Hospital, Bath, surveyed 62 cosmetic products intended for use on dogs. Twenty-seven of these products were classified as ‘leave-on’, meaning that they are not washed off after use, and 35 were classified as ‘rinse-off’, meaning that they are washed off after use.

Twenty-six per cent of leave-on products and 51 per cent of rinse-off products contained the preservatives methylisothiazolinone (MI) and/or methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI). EU regulations ban these ingredients from use in leave-on products and limit their use in rinse-off, as they are well known allergens, but this ban does not extend to cosmetics aimed at animals.

Fragrance allergy is very common, yet 56 per cent of leave-on products and 83 per cent of rinse-off products contained known fragrance allergens.

The EU also requires ingredients to be labelled in cosmetics, but again, this does not apply to pet products. Six of the 62 products had vague or no ingredient listings.

Dr Lucy Howard of the Royal United Hospital, Bath, said:

“Our study has highlighted a number of well-known allergens contained in pet cleaning products. Sometimes their presence is concealed by labelling with a different name, and it may be concealed by no labelling at all. These chemicals have the potential to cause allergic skin reactions in pet owners caring for their animals.

“There is no specific legislation regulating these ingredients in the same way that there is for human cosmetics. Clinicians should consider this when patients present with hand dermatitis, and pet owners should be able to expect the same standards for their pets as they do for themselves.”

Matthew Gass of the British Association of Dermatologists, said:

“We hope that this research will highlight the lack of specific legislation for the regulation of animal cosmetics, despite the risk to pet owners and their animals. After all, it is not as if dogs apply their own shampoo.

“If you are a pet owner and you are suffering from hand eczema, then it is possible that your pet products are the source of this issue. If you go for tests, then it is something worth mentioning to your doctor.”

Since 2013, the British Association of Dermatologists has issued several warnings about the rate of MI/MCI allergies. In 2016, the EU banned MI from leave-on cosmetics, following rules in 2015 that only allowed the mixture of MCI and MI as a preservative in rinse-off cosmetic products at a maximum concentration of 0.0015% (15ppm) in a ratio 3:1 of the two substances.

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

If writing about this study, please ensure you mention that the study was released at the British Association of Dermatologists’ Annual Meeting.

The conference will be held at the ACC, Liverpool from July 2nd – 4th 2019, and is attended by approximately 1,300 UK and international dermatologists.

Dogs: a hidden source of exposure to common allergens

L. Howard, N. Mansoor and D.A. Buckley

Royal United Hospital, Bath, U.K.

Consumers are protected from direct cutaneous exposure to common allergens such as preservatives and fragrances by European Union (EU) legislation, which bans certain allergens from leave-on products, limits the concentration of others and mandates statutory product labelling using International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) names. No such legislation applies to products intended for direct application to animals. However, animal lovers may become sensitized to these preparations, or such products may unknowingly act as elicitants in previously sensitized patients. We undertook a survey of cosmetic products intended for use on dogs. All items were on the shelves of U.K. pet stores and garden centres in December 2018, or available for online purchase. In total, 62 products were surveyed: 27 leave-on (detangling and deodorizing sprays and leave-on shampoos) and 35 rinse-off (shampoos and conditioners). Of the 27 leave-on products, 19 (70%) were manufactured in the U.K., seven in the U.S.A. or China, and one did not state the country of manufacture. Seven (26%) contained methylisothiazolinone (MI) and/or methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), which in three cases was labelled only as Kathon CG. Fifteen (56%) contained fragrance; two of these contained hydroxyisohexyl cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (Lyral). Two of the 27 were labelled only as containing ‘preservative blend’, while one had no ingredient listing and one contained methyldibromoglutaronitrile. Of the 35 rinse-off products, 18 (51%) were manufactured in the U.K., 16 in the U.S.A. or China, and one did not state the country of manufacture. Eighteen (51%) contained MI and/or MCI, which in four cases was labelled only as Kathon CG. Twenty-nine (83%) contained fragrance. Two of the 35 productswere labelled only as containing ‘preservative blend’ and one had no ingredient listing. All seven items labelled as Kathon CG were manufactured in the U.S.A. and all four labelled ‘preservative blend’ were manufactured in the U.K. Four leave-on products containing MI and/or MCI were manufactured in the U.K. The EU Cosmetics Directive 1223/2009 (30.12.2009) states that it relates only to cosmetic products and not to medicinal products, medical devices or biocidal products. Ingredients must be labelled on the packaging, or as an enclosed leaflet. Despite the increasing production of cosmetics for animals, there is no specific legislation for the regulation of such products (safepetcosmetics.eu). Pet owners with hand dermatitis should be questioned specifically about direct skin contact with animal cosmetics, and non-INCI names of any positive allergens should be provided after patch testing. 

For more information please contact the media team: comms@bad.org.uk, 0207 391 6084. Website: www.bad.org.uk

About us:

The British Association of Dermatologists is the central association of practising UK dermatologists. Our aim is to continually improve the treatment and understanding of skin disease. For further information about the charity, visit www.bad.org.uk

The British Association of Dermatologists publishes two world-renowned dermatology journals, both published by Wiley-Blackwell. The British Journal of Dermatology is one of the top dermatology journals in the world, and publishes papers on all aspects of the biology and pathology of the skin. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2133