Patch Testing to Mentha piperita (Peppermint) Oil: The North American Contact Dermatitis Group Experience (2009-2020)

Erin M. Warshaw, From the Department of Dermatology, Park Nicollet/Health Partners Health Services, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Malina Yamashita Peterson, From the Department of Dermatology, Park Nicollet/Health Partners Health Services, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Joel G. DeKoven, Division of Dermatology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Brandon L. Adler, Department of Dermatology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Melanie D. Pratt, Division of Dermatology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Donald V. Belsito, Department of Dermatology, Columbia University Irving Medical School, New York, New York, USA.
Amber R. Atwater, Department of Dermatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Marie-Claude Houle, Division of Dermatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Laval University, Québec, Canada.
Cory A. Dunnick, Department of Dermatology, Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Jiade Yu, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
James S. Taylor, Department of Dermatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Jonathan I. Silverberg, Department of Dermatology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
Margo J. Reeder, Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Vincent A. DeLeo, Department of Dermatology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Christen Mowad, Department of Dermatology, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA.
Nina C. Botto, Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-22-2024

Journal

Dermatitis : contact, atopic, occupational, drug

DOI

10.1089/derm.2024.0118

Abstract

Mentha piperita (MP; peppermint) oil has many commercial uses. To characterize the epidemiology of contact allergy to MP oil 2% petrolatum. Retrospective analysis of North American Contact Dermatitis Group data (2009-2020). Of 28,128 patients tested to MP, 161 (0.6%) had an allergic reaction. Most allergic patients were female (77.0%) and/or over 40 years of age (71.4%). The most common anatomical sites of dermatitis included face (31.7%; of these, one-third specified lips), hands (17.4%), and scattered/generalized (18.6%). Nearly one-third (30.4%) of reactions were strong (++)/extreme (+++), and 80.1% were considered currently relevant. Common sources included oral hygiene preparations, foods, and lip products. Co-reaction with at least 1 of the other 19 fragrance/plant-related screening test preparations occurred in 82.6% (133/161) of MP-allergic patients, most commonly Cananga odorata oil (42.9%), fragrance mix I (41.0%), hydroperoxides of linalool (35.7%), Compositae mix (35.4%), Jasminum officinale oil (31.9%), Myroxylon pereirae (31.7%), and propolis (28.1%). Co-reaction with at least 1 of the 3 most commonly used fragrance screening allergens (fragrance mix I, fragrance mix II, and/or Myroxylon pereirae) was 59.6%. Twelve-year prevalence of MP allergy was 0.6%. Approximately 40% of cases would have been missed if only fragrance screening allergens were tested.

Department

Dermatology

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