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Background: Essential oils are fragrance substances that are labelled on cosmetic products by their INCI names, potentially confusing consumers., Objectives: To establish whether contact allergy to essential oils might be missed if not specifically tested for., Methods: We tested 471 patients with 14 essential oils and 2104 patients with Melaleuca alternifolia oil between January 2008 and June 2014. All patients were tested with fragrance mix I, fragrance mix II, hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, and Myroxylon pereirae. Three hundred and twenty-six patients were tested with hydroperoxides of limonene and linalool., Results: Thirty-four patients had a +/++/+++ reaction to at least one essential oil. Eleven had no reaction to any of the six marker fragrance substances. Thus, 4 of 11 positive reactions to M. alternifolia oil, 2 of 7 reactions to Cymbopogon flexuosus oil, 1 of 5 reactions to Cananga odorata oil, 3 of 4 reactions to Santalum album oil and 2 of 3 reactions to Mentha piperita oil would have been missed without individual testing., Conclusion: A small number of patients who are allergic to essential oils could be missed if these are not specifically tested. Labelling by INCI names means that exposure may not be obvious. Careful inspection of so-called 'natural' products and targeted testing is recommended., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Bindi (meaning dot in Sanskrit) is a mark worn by most Indian women on their forehead for religious and social purposes. Traditionally it was worn by only Hindu women to signify their marital status. Nowadays, it is a huge fashion accessory, being worn in different sizes, shapes, designs and colours. The variety includes sequined designs, motifs dusted with gold and silver powder, studded with beads, or even surrounded by glittering gems. Stick-on and liquid ranges are both equally in demand. We report a case of bindi dermatitis with 'chandan' (sandalwood) bindi. To our knowledge this is the first report of contact allergic dermatitis to 'chandan' (sandalwood) bindi.