Hong Kong study finds over half of body lotions for infants may trigger skin allergies or dermatitis
- Consumer Council says 22 brands of body lotions for infants contained fragrance allergens, with eight having higher total concentration from around 0.13 per cent to 0.45 per cent
- Banned substances such as hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde or HICC and butylphenyl methylpropional found in lotion from Aveeno Baby

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has raised concerns about the safety of body lotions for infants, after a study of 40 such products found that more than half contained chemicals that could trigger skin allergies or dermatitis in babies.
The Consumer Council on Wednesday revealed that 22 brands of body lotions for infants contained fragrance allergens, of which eight had a relatively higher total concentration from 0.13 per cent to 0.45 per cent.
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde or HICC, and butylphenyl methylpropional (BMHCA) – both fragrance ingredients and skin sensitisers – are banned by the European Union. However, they were detected in Aveeno Baby’s lotion, which had the highest concentration of fragrance allergens.
HICC is one of the most common chemicals triggering skin allergy in children and related to the occurrence of dermatitis, a condition that causes inflammation of the skin, while BMHCA is classified by the EU as toxic for the reproductive system.
The EU cosmetics regulation requires manufacturers to list fragrance substances in the product ingredients list if their concentration exceeds 0.001 per cent.
