Skin contact transfer of three fragrance residues from candles to human hands

The dermal hand transfer of three fragrance materials (cinnamic aldehyde, d-limonene and eugenol) from scented candles was determined in 10 subjects (i.e., 20 hands) after grasping scented candles for 5 consecutive 20 s exposures/grasps. The fragrance materials from each subject’s hands were recovered by isopropyl alcohol wipes and subsequent extractions. Removal efficiencies for both cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol placed directly on the hands were not concentration dependent and ranged from 103% to 106%. The removal efficiency of d-limonene showed an inverse relation with 74.3% removed at the low concentration of 50 μg and 63.8% removed at the high concentration of 500 μg. The residue/transfer of d-limonene from the candles to the hands was below the limit of detection of 50 μg. The residue/transfer of cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol to each subject’s hands was consistent between subjects as well as between each exposure/grasp. The total mean residues of cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol transferred per grasp from the candles to the hands were 0.255 μg/cm2 and 0.279 μg/cm2, respectively.