Part 3 of a 4-part series. Lip and common dental care products: trends and alternatives: data from the American Contact Alternatives Group.

OBJECTIVE

To provide updated data on the use of ingredients that are common potential contact allergens in several categories of lip and oral products. To identify useful alternative products with few or no common contact allergens.

DESIGN

In November 2009, the full ingredient lists of 5,416 skin, hair, and cosmetic products marketed by the CVS pharmacy chain was copied from CVS.com into Microsoft Word format for analysis. Computer searches were made in Microsoft Word using search/replace and sorting functions to accurately identify the presence of specific allergens in each website product.

MEASUREMENTS: Percentages of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other common preservatives) were calculated.

RESULTS

The use of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other preservatives) in various categories of lip and oral products are reported.

CONCLUSION

Data on allergens and alternatives for lip and oral products is not widely published. This article reviews some of the common potential allergens in lip liners, lipsticks, lip moisturizers, mouthwashes, and toothpastes. Suitable available alternative products for patients with contact allergy are listed.