Interpersonal Hormone Transfer and Cosmetic Contact Allergens

In clinical medicine, percutaneous penetration has become a diagnostic reality, with evidence of the unintentional transfer of active gender hormones, i.e., estrogen and testosterone, from dosed to unknowing individuals occurring in clinical trials via interpersonal contact.^1–4 Transfer depends on many factors, such as type of exposure, amount of transdermal hormone applied, number of exposures, applied area, transfer area, timing and frequency of contact.⁵ This unintentional transdermal hormone transfer may cause a clinically significant hormone imbalance and side effects such as cardiovascular events or masculinization in adults and precocious puberty or virilization in children.^5–10