[Temporary tatooing: black henna or harkous?]

Contact sensitization to natural henna (Lawsonia inermis) long used as a skin dye in powder or paste form has rarely, if ever, been observed. Recently a number of anaphylactoid reactions to PPD contained in paints used for temporary tattoos have been described. The purpose of this article is to present 8 cases involving 4 children and 4 adults who developed contact dermatitis after temporary tattoo using "harkous" that contains no henna. The authors review the literature about temporary tattooing. "Harkous" is a mixture of nut gall and clove to which PPD is sometimes added. Many reports have described cases of contact dermatitis due to "black henna". Most of these cases have involved tourists returning from trips.