Monographs in contact allergy Volume 2: Fragrances and essential oils
After the publication of Volume 1, I started writing Volume 2 discussing fragrances = perfume raw materials. I decided to include essential oils, although they were already discussed in the earlier book on the subject (2016). But it made sense to present them too, because the oils are widely used in perfumes. In addition, I hoped to tempt dermatologists who had not purchased the first book (it contained a lot of chemistry and relatively little contact allergy) to buy this book. Indeed, quite a few copies have been sold, which I also expected, because allergy to perfume raw materials has been a hot topic in recent years. The book was published in 2019. The publisher had outdone himself. The size was slightly larger than the previous book, the paper beautifully glossy white, the printing ink black and razor sharp and the sewing of fantastic quality. So they had invested some extra money, which of course was also possible because they had received the book ready for printing from me.
I made sure that book reviews would appear in Dermatitis and in the Dutch Journal of Dermatology and Venereology. Wolfgang Uter, one of the most important people in this field and at that time editor-in-chief of Contact Dermatitis (which no longer publishes book reviews) was happy to write a review for the website of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD).
Again I received a request from Prof. Temesvári to send her a book, of course with a book review in return. I had learned from last time and agreed, but now with the condition (= a friendly request) that she would also provide an English translation of the book review, to be placed on the book page of the publisher's website. A number of excerpts from the book reviews (you will understand that I choose the best parts to show here) are below.
I liked the review from Jeanne Duus Johansen from Denmark in Dermatitis best , because she called me 'legendary' because of my many books and review articles. She previously obtained her PhD on the subject of contact allergy to perfume raw materials, is now a professor and is regarded as one of the world's experts in this field.
Book reviews
Dermatitis 2019;30:281
….The author Anton C. de Groot, dermatologist from the Netherlands, is legendary in writing monographs and overviews of contact allergens of an exceptional standard both detailed and at the same time very operational. He has done it again with this monograph. This book is a must-read for health personnel involved in patch testing. It is also highly relevant for formulators of fragrance formulas and cosmetic products, risk managers, and relevant authorities with an interest in fragrance contact allergy.
JEANNE DUUS JOHANSEN
Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Dermatologie en Venereologie 2019;29:38-39
…… In mijn vorige boekbespreking schreef ik dat ik uitkeek naar deel 2. Welnu, in mijn overtuiging zal ook dit boek van Anton de Groot een klassieker worden. De onderwerpen zijn actueel, gedetailleerd beschreven en zeer up-to-date, het boek is overzichtelijk en alle informatie gemakkelijk te vinden. Monographs in contact allergy, Volume 2: Fragrances and essential oils bevat een schat aan informatie die zowel bij het diagnosticeren en begeleiden van patiënten met parfumallergie door de dermatoloog alsook voor publicerende dermatologen en wetenschappers van andere disciplines zeer nuttig zal zijn.
M.L.A. SCHUTTELAAR
Website European Society of Contact Dermatitis, News, 11-3-2019 (www.escd.org)
Anton de Groot has just published a new book in the recently started series “Monographs in Contact Allergy”, namely, the second volume on “Fragrances and Essential Oils”. This is a follow-up to the first volume, in two parts, on “Non-fragrance allergens in cosmetics”. The new release has 946 pages, in an approximately A4 format, and weights almost 5 kg. No wonder, as overall 165 fragrance substances, 16 plant constituents as well as 79 essential oils (several with different variants) are featured in short monographs. The fragrances’ (self-)regulatory standards, as far as in place, are mentioned, and references have been added to all chapters. Structural formulas complement information on single substances. The part on essential oils greatly benefits from the co-operation with Erich Schmidt, with whom Anton de Groot has already published a reference work on the constituents of essential oils. That work is probably mainly interesting for basic scientists, also in industry, or regulatory agencies, while the present work is clearly targeting the interested dermatologist and allergy specialist. The price is 155 GBP and thus evidently not light-weight – as the book itself – but considering the immense amount of work which went into this reference, it is certainly worth every Pound (or Euro or Dollar). BTW, I don’t own stocks of acdegroot publishing and neither receive any benefits (apart from holding one copy of this great work in my hands).
WOLFGANG UTER
Hungarian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology 2019;95:149
… This 945-page monograph uniquely summarizes the properties of the known 165 allergenic fragrance chemicals and extracts as well as of 79 essential oils …….The book provides a wealth of valuable information for the non-medical industry, the cosmetic industry, and the cosmetic market, as well. With the publication of this book, we once again have access to precise lexical information, the knowledge of which gives us a unique perspective on our patients’ and our own environment, and not incidentally, on new groups of allergens causing clinical symptoms, as well.
ERSÉBET TEMESVÁRI
Overzichtsartikel
After the publication of the book, I wrote an review article on this subject for Dermatitis: De Groot AC. Fragrances: Contact allergy and other adverse effects. Dermatitis 2020;31;13-35. The following year, this article was chosen by the readers of Dermatitis as Review article of the year.
