Contact sensitization to 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one and 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one in children

In adults, MCI/MI sensitization is most common among females and in patients with facial and hand dermatitis (1). In our study, girls were more commonly affected than boys, and 6 of 7 patients had hand dermatitis. Most cases of contact allergy appear induced by leave-on cosmetics, especially moisturizing creams and wet wipes. The frequency of MCI/MI sensitization in our study is higher than that reported in other studies on children (28) (Table 1). This variation may be explained by different patient selection and the varying use of the preservative in different countries. Our study included only children with a suspected diagnosis of contact dermatitis rather than non-eczematous children or children with other types of eczema (4, 8). In Italy, there are still many cosmetic brands for babies and children containing MCI/MI as preservative, including wet wipes, protective creams, liquid soaps and shampoos.