Topical antioxidants protect the skin from chemical‐induced irritation in the repetitive washing test: a placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study

Background. There is increasing evidence that reactive oxygen species play an important role in the development of both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. Objectives. To assess the potential of topical antioxidants to prevent the development of experimentally induced irritant contact dermatitis. Methods. We evaluated the effect of a cream containing a combination of antioxidants on sodium lauryl sulfate‐induced irritant contact dermatitis in the repetitive washing test. As readout parameters for skin barrier function and cutaneous inflammation stratum corneum hydration, cutaneous blood flow and transepidermal water loss were assessed in 25 volunteers with bioengineering methods. Results. In comparison with the cream base and a frequently used barrier cream, the antioxidant cream had high radical scavenging activity and effectively protected the skin from chemical‐induced irritation. Conclusions. The superiority of the cream with antioxidants to the cream base suggests that reactive oxygen species, at least in part, play a role in the development of irritant contact dermatitis.