Impact of Exposure to Cosmetics on Sensitive Skin

The concept of sensitive or reactive skin was evoked in 1947 and developed in the 1970s and is now widely recognized. The international pruritus society has proposed an international consensus definition: sensitive skin is defined as a syndrome manifested by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations (tingling, burning, pain, pruritus, tingling) in response to stimuli that normally do not not cause such sensations. The triggering factors can be cosmetics, water, cold, heat, temperature variations, wind ... etc.

The physiopathological mechanisms are debated and several hypotheses exist. Sensitive skin can be considered as a decrease of the threshold of cutaneous tolerance. Sensitive skin is linked to abnormalities of the cutaneous nervous system, which becomes hyper-reactive. This hyperreactivity can be modulated by multiple factors. Exposure to cosmetics could be one of the main triggers for sensitive skin, especially for women. This can be explained by the wide use of cosmetics (in France women apply an average of 16 different cosmetics per day), by overconsumption of cosmetics, by exposure to potentially irritating ingredients. Sensitive skin would be less tolerant to the frequent and prolonged use of cosmetics. However, no precise information is available on the actual consumption of cosmetic products in the population with sensitive skin, in particular no data exists concerning the type of products used, the criteria of choice of products, the daily number of products used. and the ingredients contained in these cosmetics