Background:

6-Methylcoumarin is a synthetic fragrance widely used in cosmetics.

6-Methylcoumarin is reported to be almost nonphototoxic in epidermal tissue and cell culture phototoxicity test models. HaCaT cells are treated with 6-Methylcoumarin (1-105 nM) and/or UVA (5 J cm-2), and γ-H2AX is detected by immunofluorescence staining and western blotting 4hours after the treatments. 6-Methylcoumarin clearly produces γ-H2AX-positive cells under UVA irradiation from a concentration of 100 nM[1].

[1]. Toyooka T, et al. Phosphorylation of histone H2AX is a powerful tool for detecting chemical photogenotoxicity. J Invest Dermatol. 2011 Jun;131(6):1313-21.