Concomitant contact‐allergic reactions to iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and iodine

Background

Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) is a broad‐spectrum preservative for use in several product types, including cosmetics in which its concentrations have been limited by EU legislation because of concerns related to its iodine content and release, and risk of subsequent overdose.

Objectives

To report about concomitant patch‐test reactions observed with iodine and IPBC in patients sensitized to iodine‐containing antiseptics.

Patients

Between 2012 and 2018, 7 patients, six from Belgium and one from France, two suffering from acute dermatitis during surgical interventions, four from dermatitis due to wound treatment, and one from occupational dermatitis, were shown to be sensitized to iodine and/or povidone‐iodine (PVP‐I) which were considered relevant for their dermatitis. All patients were coincidentally also patch‐tested with IPBC.

Results

All patients presented positive patch‐test reactions to several other allergens, including IPBC. No relevance could be detected for IPBC.

Conclusions

We suspect that, notwithstanding the absence of firm evidence of IPBC being dehalogenated to produce free iodine in animals or in humans, the patch‐test reactions to IPBC in iodine‐allergic subjects were possibly caused by free iodine released from this preservative agent, thus underlining the EU restrictions regarding the use of this preservative in cosmetics.

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