Contact and photocontact allergy to oxybenzone

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of contact allergy and photocontact allergy to sunscreens. A consecutive series of 54 patients with suspected clinical photosensitivity were assessed. All had the same standardized photobiological investigation from January 1989 to December 1990, including patch tests and photo patch tests with 6 sunscreen agents. Oxybenzone was found to cause 4 cases of allergic contact dermatitis (with photo aggravation in 2), and 3 cases of photocontact dermatitis (13% of patients). This is probably due to the wide distribution of oxybenzone in sunscreens and other cosmetics, 2 patients with polymorphic light eruption and persistent light reactivity, respectively, were regular sunscreen users. Photo biological investigation is necessary to ensure accurate diagnosis, since sunscreen contact or photo contact allergy may simulate other photosensitivity eruptions.