Cosmetic ingredients: Benzalkonium chloride - something people with sensitive skin should be careful of

What is Benzalkonium Chloride?

Benzalkonium chloride is an ingredient that has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. It also helps to create good foam and lifts and washes away dirt and sebum.

For this reason, it is often used in shampoos and body soaps, and is also used as a preservative in eye makeup, makeup removers, skin care products, etc.

It also has a strong ability to prevent bacterial growth, so it is also used in the following products:

• Hand sanitizer gel
• Contact lens cleaning solution
• Antibacterial soap
• Fungicides
• Spermicide preservative

Is benzalkonium chloride safe?

According to the American environmental activist group EWG , benzalkonium chloride poses the following risks:

• Serious skin, eye and respiratory irritation
• May cause allergies

It has been described as a sensitizer, particularly dangerous for people with asthma or skin conditions such as eczema.

Benzalkonium chloride is found in many household disinfectants and cleaners.

However, it has been pointed out that regular use of products containing such strong antibacterial agents may lead to the development of resistant bacteria.

In a patch test in Korea

There is data that supports the claim that it is dangerous for people with existing skin diseases. The data was conducted in South Korea from January 2010 to March 2011.

A multicenter study conducted at 111 hospital dermatology departments. Patch tests were performed on 584 patients with symptoms of cosmetic contact dermatitis. The prevalence of preservative allergies was then investigated.

As a result, 41.1% of patients were found to have preservative hypersensitivity. The following preservatives were the most common allergens:

1. Benzalkonium chloride (12.1%)
2. Thimerosal (9.9%)
3. Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone (5.5%)

In an irritation patch test comparing people without skin disease, benzalkonium chloride and chlorphenesin showed the highest irritation.

What is the dosage in Japan?

In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set restrictions on the use of benzalkonium chloride in cosmetics . In skin care and makeup products that are not washed off immediately after use, the content can be limited to 0.05%.

However, there are no regulations regarding its use in products that are immediately washed off, such as shampoos and cleansing products.

If you have sensitive skin or a skin disorder, it is a good idea to check the list of ingredients before choosing a product.