ABSTRACT
A consideration of irritant reactivity tests could be limited to the type of clinically obvious skin response, such as that which occurs to the anionic surfactant sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS); alternatively, it could encompass the broader spectrum of nonimmunologic reactions, including not only acute and cumulative irritation, but also nonimmunological immediate skin reactions and the panoply of sensory responses, such as burning, stinging, and itching. However, irritant responses in the skin are highly diverse and best assessed in a human volunteer population. Skin contact urticaria arises within a few minutes and typically fades over an hour or so. A heightened reactivity to one aspect of nonimmune skin responses is in no way indicative of a generally elevated sensitivity to any type of skin insult. Where human testing is conducted on sensitive skin in an attempt to use higher reactors as an enhanced indicator for a wider consumer population, the chance of achieving a scientifically defensible outcome is at best poor.
