If you have sensitive skin or eczema, a common chemical formaldehyde-releasing preservative to watch out for in your personal care products is methyldibromo glutaronitrile or MDBGN (alternative names below). Studies have linked it to allergic contact dermatitis yet it is still commonly used in many products in the U.S. It was banned by the European Union in 2005 from stay-on products such as lotions, and then in 2007 in rinse-off products such as soaps and shampoos.
Alternative names to MDBGN:
- 1,2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane
- 1-Bromo-1-(bromomethyl)-1,3-propanedicarbonitrile
- 2-Bromo-2-(bromomethyl) glutaronitrile
- 2-Bromo-2-(bromomethyl)pentanedinitrile
- Bromothalonil
- Euxyl K400
- Tektamer 38
- Merquat 2200
- Metacide 38
Sources: http://dermnetnz.org/nzds.html, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15811027