• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2012

The safety of cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients on human skin is generally evaluated by visual assessment but some early subtle skin changes may not be noticed by the naked eyes. Thus, the present study was conducted to detect skin reactions induced by mildly irritating cosmetic ingredients by using a laser Doppler perfusion imager (LDPI) method that measures blood flow, a $Vapometer^{(R)}$ that measure strans epidermal water loss (TEWL), and a spectrophotometer that measures the skin color as the erythema values ($a^*$). Visual assessment showed that all tested oils and humectants except propylene glycol belong to the low skin irritation ranges (grades 0+ to 2.9+) while all tested surfactants and propylene glycol belong to the moderate-to strong-skin irritation ranges (grades 3+ to 5+). Among three instrumental methods, TEWL assessment appeared to be more sensitive than spectrophotometric or LDPI method and suitable for the detection of subtle skin response invisible to the naked eye (grades 0+ to 2.9+). Skin reactions of grade 3+ to 5+ could be detected by all three instrumental methods. In conclusion, the current study suggested that the sub-clinical skin reactions due to mild irritants contained in cosmetics can be best assessed by TEWL measurements.