Allergic contact dermatitis to plant extracts in cosmetics.

Topically applied cosmetics and medicaments containing botanical extracts are commonly used. Despite popular beliefs of their benignancy, some botanicals have been implicated in causing allergic contact dermatitis in susceptible patients. The offending allergen may be the botanical extract itself or another ingredient such as a fragrance, preservative, dye, or sunscreen found in the product. Specific botanicals implicated in causing cosmetic contact dermatitis include Compositae family plants, tea tree oil, peppermint, lavender, lichens, henna, and others.