Contact fragrances

Health and Safety. FEMA has examined cinnamaldehyde and estabhshed its GRAS status (No. 2286). The material has been used in some fragrance compositions, but RJEM (34) has noted its potential for sensiti2ation and limited the use in perfumes for skin contact at 1% in the formula. Eugenol and limonene have been used in conjunction with cinnamaldehyde as quenchers to neutrali2e the irritation reaction that some individuals have toward this aldehyde. 

Solid acids can also be prepared from these materials by transformation of the sulphur group to the sulphonic acid, very closely related to sulphuric acid, one of the most commonly used acids industrially. The material can be easily recovered and easily handled since the acidity resides within pores, it cannot come into contact with living tissue. Important transformations, such as the formation of synthetic lubricants and intermediates for fragrances, have already been reported using these materials. The scope for such materials in future is enormous. 

Gerberick, G. F., et al., Understanding fragrance allergy using an exposure-based risk assessment approach, Contact Derm. 45, 333-340, 2001. 

SPME has also been used in the area of head-space sampling of volatile compounds such as flavors and fragrances [34,35]. In these experiments, the analytes are adsorbed onto the polymer-coated fiber that is in contact with the head space in the vial. The fiber is then inserted into the injection port of a GC and thermally desorbed. 

The fragrance industry is closely linked to the flavour industry. Many of the skills required of a perfumer are also required of a flavourist. Find out more about the flavour industry. Contact the chemistry department of a university to find out more about flavour chemistry. 

Patch testing (and photopatch testing) should document the few cases due to allergic contact dermatitis. Apart from the routine battery, testing should be performed with the fragrance and preservative series, as well as any cosmetic or skin care product that the patient uses. Immediate-type testing should be performed if indicated by the history. If systemic symptoms were present, perform only in the presence of emergency resuscitative facilities. 

The literature confirms that the fragrance mix remains the best screening agent for contact allergy to perfumes because it can detect some 70 to 80% of all perfume allergies.10,11 However,... 

Frosch, P.J., Pilz, B., Andersen, K.E., Burrows, D., Camarasa, J.G., Dooms-Goossens, A., Ducombs,G., Fuchs, T., Hannuksela, M., and Lachapelle, J.M., Patch testing with fragrances results of a multi-center study of the European Environmental and Contact Dermatitis Research Group with 48 frequently used constituents of perfumes, Contact Dermatitis, 33, 333, 1995. 

Perfumes and fragrances can be complexed with cyclodextrins. On application to the skin, the perfume is released over a longer time than perfume applied to the skin in a non-complexed form. Some perfumes are irritating to the skin. Because the perfume is contained within the cavity of the cyclodextrin, contact with the skin is minimized, resulting reduction or elimination of irritation. Moisture and oils in the skin release the perfume slowly, so that the minimum concentration of perfume needed to elicit an irritable response is not reached. 

For non-skin contact consumer products (see footnote below) recommendations may allow higher limits for some restricted ingredients. In this case also, users should be informed that the fragrance compound should only be used in this specific type of products. 

A GC analysis is shown in Chapter 5 (Fig. 5.2). The oil is non-toxic, nonirritant and generally non-sensitizing, but there is a chance of contact dermatitis with sensitive individuals. It has many uses in cosmetics, fragrances and flavourings. In aromatherapy it has been attributed beneficial effects in a variety of conditions including menstrual disorders, and as an anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antiseptic, antidepressant, calmative and balancing for the endocrine system. 

The nature of a chemical will, obviously, affect its disposition and its effects on the body (the nature of a chemical can be described in terms of its so-called physico-chemical characteristics). These various characteristics wiU affect both the site of exposure and the consequences of the exposure. A chemical may be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. A solid may be in solution in water, for example sugar in a cup of tea, or in another solvent, for example alcohol, which is used to dissolve the fragrances in perfume. Liquids may be volatile such as petrol or white spirit. A solid may be in the form of lumps, crystals (for example, salt), or very small particles. Furthermore, the chemical could be irritant or corrosive, such as an acid like battery acid (hydrochloric acid) or kettle descaler (formic acid), or an alkali like caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), which is found in oven cleaners. The latter may not be weU absorbed from any of the three sites of exposure but will stiU cause damage to the tissues with which they come into contact. Substances that are not at all soluble in fat wiU not be well absorbed, nor wiU substances that are very soluble in fat but not soluble in water. However, sufficient of the chemical may be absorbed for it to be toxic even if it is a very small amount. Substances that are soluble in fat wiU also be more readily distributed around the body and metabolized. 

Of 443 individuals who were tested for contact sensitization, 5 had a positive reaction to A. montana and 9 to Calendula officinalis (marigold) a mixture of the two was positive in 18 cases (3). Sensitization was often accompanied by reactions to nickel, Myroxylon pereirae resin, fragrance mix, propolis, and colophon. 

Cancian M, Fortina AB, Peserico A. Contact urticaria syndrome from constituents of balsam of Peru and fragrance mix in a patient with chronic urticaria. Contact Dermatitis 1999 41(5) 300. 

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