Lack of type 1 sensitization to laundry detergent enzymes among consumers in the Philippines: results of a 2-year study in atopic subjects.

Background: Enzymes have been safely used in laundry products for many years. The risk of developing adverse responses to enzymes in laundry detergents among consumers in countries where hand laundry predominates is expected to be low.

Objectives: To understand how consumers in hand laundry markets used detergent products; to show that use of enzyme-containing detergents did not lead to sensitization in an atopic population with compromised skin; and to show that enzyme detergents did not have an adverse effect on skin condition.