Contact Allergy to Hydroperoxides of Linalool and D-Limonene in a US Population.

BACKGROUND: Linalool and D-limonene are common fragrance ingredients that readily oxidize on exposure to air. The resulting hydroperoxides of linalool and D-limonene have been shown to have high frequencies of positive patch test reactions in several European and international studies.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of contact allergy to the hydroperoxides of linalool and D-limonene in a US population.

METHODS: In this retrospective study, 103 patients with suspected fragrance allergy were patch tested to linalool 10% petrolatum (pet), hydroperoxides of linalool 1% pet, D-limonene 10% pet, and/or the hydroperoxides of D-limonene 0.3% pet between July 9, 2014, and October 25, 2016.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the frequency of positive patch test reactions to the hydroperoxides of linalool is 20% (19/96), and the frequency of positive reactions to the hydroperoxides of D-limonene is 8% (7/90). These high frequencies suggest that patch testing to the hydroperoxides of linalool and limonene should be performed in all patients with suspected fragrance allergy.