Objective To take a pilot study on the adverse skin reactions to cosmetics in the 20-59 years old people in Shanghai and analyze their characteristics, in order to find out the target population and provide the basis for further study.
Methods Through stratified random sampling, 1 200 people between 20 and 59 years old were recruited and answered the questionnaires for the information about adverse skin reactions to cosmetics, and then the data were arranged and analyzed.
Results A total of 1 164 valid questionnaires were collected, in which 10.7% of respondents experienced adverse skin reactions to cosmetics over their lifetime, 5.07% of them experienced adverse skin reactions to cosmetics in the preceding year. In the proportion of the adverse skin reactions to cosmetics, no difference was presented between the age groups, but significant difference existed between men and women of the 20 to 29 age group, 30 to 39 age group and overall (20 to 59 years old). According to self-judgment of the respondents to determine their skin sensitivity, adverse skin reaction rate in the respondents with sensitive skin was higher than those with non-sensitive skin. The respondents with allergic history had a higher incidence rate of adverse skin reactions to cosmetics than those with no allergic history.
Conclusion The frequency of the adverse skin reactions to cosmetics in general population according to this study is lower than that reported in foreign countries. The proportion of the people with sensitive skin might affect the frequency of the adverse skin reactions to cosmetics, and so does the proportion of the people with allergic history.
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