A coroner has issued a warning about black henna tattoos after a woman died after using hair dye.
Julie McCabe slipped into a coma in October 2011 after suffering an allergic reaction to a chemical from the L’Oreal dye she used.
The estate agent and mother of two from West Yorkshire died a year later.
An inquest into the 38-year-old’s death heard she had a black henna tattoo in Dubai in 2007 and, subsequently, she had increasingly bad reactions to her hair dye.
Coroner Geoff Fell was told by experts that tattoos contained large amounts of paraphenylenediamine (PPD) – the chemical in the hair dye thought to have been behind her reaction – and that the tattoos increased the chances of becoming susceptible to allergic reactions.
Mr Fell returned a verdict of accidental death and said he planned to write to the relevant Government department so that the public was made more aware of the danger of tattoos and hair dye.
He said: “People think it’s a good idea to let their children have a black henna tattoo.
“That child could go through life 10, 15, 30 years and the first time that child dyes its hair there could be an anaphylactic reaction.”
Mr Fell also asked the cosmetics industry to use its customers to do more research on their reactions to hair dyes, saying he believed the industry had “grossly underestimated” the scale of the problem.
PPDs are known to cause allergic reactions to some people, but an alternative chemical has not yet been found.
The inquest in the North Yorkshire town of Skipton heard there was a big gap in the number of those estimated to have allergic reaction to PPDs between industry figures and academic research.
The coroner said Mrs McCabe, who lived near Keighley, knew she was allergic to the hair dye because she had visited her GP at least 16 times before her last illness in order to be treated for less severe reactions.
Mr Fell said he was only aware of one other death in the UK that could be attributed to an anaphylactic reaction to hair dye.
A L’Oreal spokeswoman said: Sadly, this tragic accident highlights how important it is to follow safety instructions.
“We strongly recommend consumers read and follow safety and usage instructions clearly printed on our packs and notices.
“As stated on our pack, it is extremely important to do an allergy alert test at least 48 hours before use, each time the hair is coloured.
“If you have ever experienced any reaction after colouring your hair or any reaction after temporary tattooing with black henna, you should not proceed.”
