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Related Experiment Videos

Isopropyl myristate recommended for aimed rather than routine patch testing.

Wolfgang Uter1, Axel Schnuch, Johannes Geier

  • 1Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (IMBE), University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wakdstrasse 6, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany. wolfgang.uter@rzmail.uni-erlangen.de

Contact Dermatitis
|June 10, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Isopropyl myristate (IPM) is a very weak sensitizer. Patch testing showed it rarely causes allergic contact dermatitis, suggesting it should only be tested when allergic reactions are suspected.

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Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Contact Dermatitis
  • Allergology

Background:

  • Isopropyl myristate (IPM) is commonly used in cosmetics and perfumes.
  • Previous studies suggest IPM is a weak sensitizer, but robust clinical data is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the sensitization potential of Isopropyl myristate (IPM) in a large patient cohort.
  • To determine the frequency of allergic contact dermatitis caused by IPM.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of patch test data from the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK).
  • Inclusion of 8117 patients tested with 20% IPM in petrolatum and 4554 patients tested with 10% IPM in petrolatum.
  • Evaluation of reactions at day 2 and day 3 post-application.

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Main Results:

  • Irritant and questionable reactions were frequent, particularly at higher concentrations (20%) and longer exposure (2-day).
  • Only 16 patients (0.13%) showed morphologically positive reactions at day 3.
  • A decrescendo pattern of reactions was commonly observed.

Conclusions:

  • Isopropyl myristate (IPM) demonstrates extremely weak sensitization potential, possibly none in this study population.
  • Routine patch testing for IPM is not recommended.
  • IPM should only be tested in cases of suspected allergic contact dermatitis to avoid reducing the test's predictive value.