Allergic Contact Dermatitis Due to Kojic Acid

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by phenylethyl resorcinol, a skin‐lightening agent contained in a sunscreen

“…Nineteen cases of contact dermatitis caused by depigmenting agents in cosmetics have been published in 14 reports, all involving middle‐aged women . The incriminated bleaching molecules were quite diverse.…”

Pigmented contact dermatitis due to kojic acid. A paradoxical side effect of a skin lightener

“…Kojic acid (5‐hydroxy‐2‐(hydroxy‐ methyl)‐4‐pyrone; CAS 501‐30‐4) has been increasingly used as a skin‐lightening agent in cosmetic products. Despite it being considered to have high sensitizing potential (1), few cases of contact allergy have been reported in the literature (2, 3). We report a case of pigmented contact dermatitis to kojic acid.…”

Treatment of Unwanted Pigment

“…69 Several additional studies have identified KA as an irritant and responsible for contact dermatitis, which must be kept in mind given its inclusion in many over-the-counter multiagent preparations. [70][71][72]…”