2022 Volume 46 Issue 4 Pages 364-374
After melanosis faciei femina, two outbreaks of severe side effects caused by cosmetics have occurred since 2009. One is an immediate wheat allergy percutaneously sensitized to hydrolyzed wheat protein contained in facial soaps (HWP-IWA) that included 0.3% of a specific type of HWP, Glupearl 19S. A total of 2,111 cases developed allergic contact urticaria, anaphylaxis, and/or wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) after using the soaps.
The other one is Rhododenol-induced leukoderma (RDL) due to a skin-whitening agent rhododendrol (Rhododenol) (RD) approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a quasi-drug. A total of 19,609 individuals developed leukoderma, that is about 2.4% of those who used whitening cosmetics (cosmetics) containing 2% RD.
The author served as chairpersons of the special committee of the Japanese Society of Allergology for HWP-IWA, and of the Japanese Dermatological Association for RDL. Both committees carried out epidemiological studies, established diagnostic criteria and provided practical guidance to treat and care the patients. Both committees performed and reviewed clinical, basic, and genetic research on the pathomechanism, and provided information to the medical doctors and the patients.
In this article, HWP-IWA and RDL are reviewed from a viewpoint of a dermatologist and the chairpersons of the special committees.
