Intended for healthcare professionals

The epidemic of allergic contact dermatitis to methylisothiazolinone

Zoe C Venables and Graham A Johnston
Methylisothiazolinone (MI) is a preservative found in many household, personal care and industrial products. In the recent years, there has been an unprecedented increase in sensitisation to MI due to its widespread use in personal care products, resulting in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). The first case series of MI-related ACD was described in 2010. By 2013, MI had been dubbed the contact allergen of the year, in what has been described as an ACD epidemic caused by MI. In this article we review the history of the epidemic, and clinical presentation and management of MI-induced allergic contact dermatitis.
Dermatology in practice 2016; 22(1): 8–10
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Dermatology in practice was previously supported by Wyeth from 2008 to 2010, by Wyeth and Serono in 2007, by Wyeth and Shire from 2005 to 2006, by Medlock Medical in 2004 and by SSL International from 2001 to 2003.

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