Quenching: fact or fiction?

Fragrance chemicals are a frequently reported cause of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), a matter which has recently come into considerable prominence, to the point that legislation in Europe is under serious consideration. Certain skin-sensitizing fragrance chemicals have been reported by the producing industry to be rendered safe (quenched), at least in terms of ACD, when they are used in the presence of a specific quenching agent. Accordingly, it seemed timely to review this apparent quenching phenomenon, considering the available data and potential mechanistic hypotheses that might be used to explain it. If it is correct, it should be a phenomenon of potentially enormous value in the elimination of the allergenic properties of at least a proportion of common skin sensitizers. Whilst there is some evidence in man for the occurrence of quenching during the induction of skin sensitization, a much more substantial body of work has failed to find supportive evidence in various animals models, at a chemical level or at elicitation in human subjects with existing allergy. On balance, it is concluded that quenching of fragrance allergens is a phenomenon still awaiting positive evidence of existence.