ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides monographs on all chemicals/substances that have caused contact allergy to / allergic contact dermatitis from their presence in cosmetic products. Data provided include country/countries of the study, period of study, patch test concentration and vehicle used, number of patients tested, number of patients and percentage with positive patch tests, mode of selection, relevance, other relevant information and literature references. Case reports and case series of allergic contact dermatitis from the presence of the chemical/substance in any non-cosmetic product are presented here. Sometimes, only one or a few cases of cosmetic allergy have been described, but many reactions to the allergen in non-cosmetic products have been reported, e.g., in the case of colophonium, benzalkonium chloride and thimerosal; these are all presented in this section of each Monograph.
