Patch test reactivity to iodopropynyl butylcarbamate between 2011 and 2018 in Melbourne, Australia.

DISCUSSION Contact allergy to IPBC has increased gradually over time in the United States and Europe and we present the first Australian data for contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis. Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) is a broad-spectrum preservative initially used in wood and paint products and now increasingly used in consumer products including cosmetics, moisturizers, shampoos, baby products, powders, paper, alcohol rubs, and wet wipes.1,2 In 1996 the US Food and Drug Administration reported that IPBC was used in 122 cosmetic products which increased to 942 by 2013.3,4 Increasing rates of contact allergy have been reported over the last 20 years from Europe and the United States,2 but there have been no studies from Australia. This contrasts with a previous study finding it to cause mainly occupational hand dermatitis in males.7 In another study, IPBC contact allergy was also reported to household detergents, but this was not evident in our study.8 These differences are likely to be due to the variation of exposure in the patients. [Extracted from the article]