Methylisothiazolinone (MI) is a preservative and is found in a wide range of consumer products. Recently, there has been a rapid global increase in incidence of allergies to MI. 31 products within the following four product categories: cosmetics and personal care, detergents and household cleaning products, paints, varnishes and adhesives and toys and hobby products were selected for chemical analysis.
The products contained 1.8-135 ppm MI. Comparison with the existing legislation for cosmetic products including a limit of MI at 100 ppm and with the recent recommendation from SCCS that a content of more than 15 ppm is not safe when used in rinse-off cosmetics products was performed. The report concludes that consumers are exposed to a wide range of products containing MI in concentrations exceeding 15 ppm, while only a few products contained more than 100 ppm.
Læs publikation