What is rosin and where is it found?

Rosin, also known as colophony, is the sap or sticky substance that comes from pine and spruce trees. Its “stickiness” lends itself to being used in a wide range of products. The table below shows only some of the many products that contain rosin we may come into contact with either at home or at work.

Home/Recreational Sources    

• Cosmetics (e.g. mascaras, lipsticks, eyeshadows, concealer creams, nail varnish)
• Adhesives (e.g. sticking plasters and tapes, glues)
• Medicines (e.g. wart removers, cold sore creams, ostomy products, nappy creams, haemorrhoid creams, sprays)
• Toiletries (e.g.. transparent soaps, hair removing wax, dental floss, sunscreens, blister creams and first-aid ointments)
• Household items (e.g. grease removers for clothes, shoe wax, polish for floors, cars and furniture, laundry soaps, fly strips)
• Recreational (e.g. sport racket handles, athletic grip aids, golf club grips, bows for stringed instruments, fireworks, ski wax)
• Chewing gum
• Firewood and pine trees in the garden
• Paper products: one of the largest single uses of colophony is in the manufacture of paper and paperboard

Work Sources

• Paint, varnishes, lacquers, sealants
• Cements, putties
• Linoleum, floor coverings and tiles
• Printing inks
• Sawdust and resin from pine and spruce
• Asphalt products
• Soldering products
• Corrosion inhibitors
• Grease and lubricant thickener
• Topical medications in dentistry
• Veterinary medications
• Waterproofing agents
• Machine belts in industry

What are the reactions to rosin allergy?

Reactions to contact with rosin in an allergic individual include acute allergic contact dermatitis and asthma. In allergic contact dermatitis the dermatitis tends to occur 1-3 days after contact with rosin, although occasionally reactions can appear within 24 hours or even more than a week after exposure. The dermatitis tends to be confined to the site of contact with rosin (e.g. hands and forearms after carrying pine wood, although the face may also be involved). Initially the skin becomes red and inflamed, and is generally itchy. As the reaction progresses it may blister and become even more intensely itchy. If exposure is continued, the dermatitis may eventually become chronic with thickened, lichenified skin.