K E Y W O R D S : allergic contact dermatitis, amino acid alkyl amides, capryloyl glycine, CAS no. 14246-53-8, case report, cosmetics, preservative, surfactant, skin conditioning agent Amino acid alkyl amides (AAAAs) are polyfunctional cosmetic ingredients, some of which also have preservative properties. Here, we report a case of allergic contact dermatitis caused by a body lotion containing an AAAA, namely, capryloyl glycine (CG) (synonyms: caprylyl glycine and N-octanoylglycine; CAS no. 14246-53-8) ( Figure 1).
CASE REPORTA 50-year-old atopic man, who was known to have hand dermatitis and who had recently been diagnosed with contact allergy to methylisothiazolinone (MI), methylchloroisothiazolinone/MI, fragrances (Myroxylon pereirae and fragrance mix II), and ricinus oil, developed an itchy, papular skin eruption on his arms and legs after the application of a body lotion (Figure 2A,B). He had also suffered from a similar skin eruption after the use of two sunscreens. However, none of these products contained any of his known contact allergens, so he was referred to us for additional patch tests. These were performed with the three suspected products, tested "as is," along with the separate ingredients of the body lotion, kindly provided by the manufacturer (L'Oréal, Clichy, France), a photopatch series (Chemotechnique Diagnostics, Vellinge, Sweden), and ingredients of the suncreens that were commercially available as patch test preparations. Allergeaze patch test chambers (SmartPractice, Calgary, Canada) were used, and, following occlusion for 2 days with Fixomull stretch (BSN Medical, Hamburg, Germany), all tests were read, according to published guidelines, on day (D) 2, D4, and D7. 1 The photopatch tests were occluded for 2 days, and, upon removal, one of two identical series was irradiated with 5 J/cm 2 ultraviolet (UV) A; readings were performed on D2, D4 and D7 following application of these tests. Positive patch test reactions were observed to the body lotion (++), and to its ingredient CG 1% 50% aq./50% ethanol. (+) (Figure 3). A repeated patch test with this allergen confirmed the positive reaction, with the same degree of reactivity (+). An additional patch test with CG 1% aq., retrieved from a different cosmetic company, gave only a doubtful reaction (?+). Twenty control patients had completely negative test results with both CG 1% aq. and CG 1% 50% aq./50% eth. Our patient also had positive reactions to patch tests with the two sunscreens (+), although to a lesser extent (?+) when these were irradiated with UVA, and to the chemical filter benzophenone-10 (+), which, according to the packaging, was not present in these products. As both sunscreens contained caprylic/capric triglyceride, that is, glycerol esterified with one part capric acid and two parts caprylic acid, the latter being an acid that is also used in the manufacture of CG, additional tests were performed with caprylic/capric triglyceride (10% pet.; obtained from Pierre Fabre, Paris, France); however, these did not yield a positive rea...