Does your child also use perfume?
A new study published at the allergy congress for European Society of Contact Dermatitis held in Barcelona on June 25 to 28, reveals what kind of cosmetics children in the age groups 0-4 years, 4-8 years, 8-12 years and 12+ actually are exposed to. We can already reveal that there are a few big and scary surprises.
The survey was conductedby two doctors from Ninewells Hospital and Medical Schoolin Scotland.They asked parents of children who came to the hospital to have a patch test, to fill out a questionnaire. The forms were given out between September’13 and January’14. The doctors received 68 responses. Results from the survey start out comforting.Children regardless of age use sunscreen, moisturizers,wipes and shampoo. So far, so good. The surprises begin with the perfumes and deodorants.Here the parents answer that 10percent of children aged 0 to 4 years are exposed to these products. There is absolutely no rational explanation for why children at such a young age should be exposed to perfume or deodorant. In this study the use of deodorant increases when children are in the age group 4-8 years to 22%, from 8-12 years half of them use deodorant and when the children are over 12 it is eight out of ten children.
If you look at perfume consumption, it is fortunately a little lower. In fact, it falls slightly in the group 4-8 years, where the percent age is 7%. Then it rises sharply to four out of ten children aged 8-12 years use perfume to stand at 65 % when the kids are over 12 years old. The study also showed that from 0 years up to 12 years boys and girls use about the same number of cosmetic products. But from the age of 13the girls begin to take off and the difference is so big that the girls use three times as many products as boys.
The doctors will do further examinations now.
In Denmark, Anne Birgitte Simonsen, who is a PhD student at the National Allergy Research Centre, published figures showing that Danish children have increasing contact allergy. So what about your home – does your child use perfume? Deodorant? Hair color?