Nickel allergy in women 18–35, before vs after the EU Nickel Directive

Limiting how much nickel an item may release, rather than how much it contains, cut prevalence by roughly a third in the most-exposed group. Enforcement is the remaining gap: about a quarter of earring posts still exceeded the limit in a 2025 review.

Nickel allergy in women 18–35, before vs after the EU Nickel DirectiveLimiting how much nickel an item may release, rather than how much it contains, cut prevalence by roughly a third in the most-exposed group. Enforcement is the remaining gap: about a quarter of earring posts still exceeded the limit in a 2025 review.Before the Directive19.8%After the Directive11.4%▼ 8.4 pts lowerEarring posts still over the limit (2025)24.7%

Source: Ahlström et al.; von Spreckelsen et al. (PubMed / PMC) ↗

Chart by Poli International — Nickel Allergy StatisticsFree to reuse with attribution · CC BY 4.0