ParaPhenylene Diamine and Henna

Paraphenylene diamine (PPD) is an aromatic amine used by women for cosmetic purposes, such as black hair dye or as a henna adjuvant. However, its use can lead to allergic reactions after skin application. When ingested, even at very low doses, it exhibits considerable systemic toxicity, first manifesting as cervico-facial edema and macroglossia which can lead to a rapidly fatal asphyxiation syndrome in the absence of medical treatment. Therapeutic treatment consists of reducing the toxic load and treating complications early. The aim of our work is to make the general public aware of the use of this molecule. We undertook an analytical study involving a qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of about forty brands of henna marketed on the Algerian market. The results revealed that 35% of our samples contained PPD, and among them, 43% did not mention the presence of this molecule. In addition, in some cases, the concentration of PPD exceeded the standard of 2% (FDA).