Palladium in white gold: what to know

Short version

This page collects what a few public sources say about palladium in white gold. It is not medical advice and we have not tested any jewellery. White gold is a colour, not a single recipe, and the metal that makes gold white matters most for people with metal allergy.

DermNet (retrieved 2026-11-14) says gold is alloyed with other metals, and that “white gold is usually alloyed with nickel.” It adds that “alternative white gold alloys are available based on palladium, silver and other white metals,” though “the palladium alloys are more expensive than those using nickel.” So palladium appears in the sources as the main named alternative to nickel in white gold. The question for this page is whether it is a clean alternative. The sources suggest it is not automatically one.

Palladium can itself be an allergen

A 2019 PubMed abstract (PMID 31231808, Contact Dermatitis) describes a 15-year retrospective study at a Spanish skin allergy unit. Of 3678 patients patch tested, 19.9% were sensitised to nickel sulfate, and 8.6% (316 patients) to palladium dichloride. That was higher than the rate for potassium dichromate (6.5%) and similar to cobalt chloride (9.6%). The authors note that palladium use is increasing and is not part of any baseline series, and argue it should be added to the Spanish one.

A 2022 review (PMID 36498546, Journal of Clinical Medicine) lists nickel, chromium and cobalt as the most common metal allergens, with gold, palladium, titanium and others lately attracting attention. A 2008 review (PMID 18782021) likewise lists palladium among metals described as emerging causes of skin hypersensitivity. These are general statements; neither abstract gives palladium rates for jewellery.

How it relates to nickel allergy

The two studies we read that report both metals say they travel together.

• A 2000 study (PMID 10863220, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology) tested 449 people with a history of reacting to jewellery or metal. Using an extended series, it found palladium allergy was common, present in 34% of nickel-allergic patients, “but it always occurred with nickel sensitivity.” Gold allergy coexisted with nickel sensitivity in 10% of cases.
• In the 2019 Spanish study above, only 26 of the palladium-sensitised patients (8.2%) were not also sensitised to nickel.
• A 2020 abstract on indium and iridium (PMID 32248538) reports that 19 of 23 patients reacting to either metal also reacted to other metals, mainly nickel and palladium. It concerns other metals, but shows how often these reactions cluster.

Two things follow, and the sources are careful about both. First, a person with nickel allergy is not shown to be spared by switching to palladium; the studies describe co-sensitisation, meaning both tests were positive in the same people. Second, co-sensitisation is not proof of cross-reactivity. A 2021 review (PMID 34682608) says co-sensitisation between nickel, cobalt and palladium “is frequent while the knowledge on a possible immunological cross-reactivity … remains limited.” Whether palladium suits any individual is something a dermatologist can address with patch testing.

What the studies cannot tell you

All of the patch-test numbers come from clinics testing people with suspected skin problems, so they overstate how common these allergies are in everyone. We found nothing on how much palladium leaves a palladium white gold piece in sweat, or on reaction rates for palladium alloys against nickel ones. A 1996 British Journal of Dermatology study (PMID 8746329) did find that nickel-silver and some white-gold alloys caused positive patch-test reactions in nickel-sensitive people, but its abstract does not say which alloys, so it does not tell us whether palladium alloys were included.

Plating, labels and questions to ask

Many white gold pieces are plated. DermNet says “even white gold with nickel is often rhodium-plated to make it appear whiter and shinier,” and that the plating wears off, leaving the alloy against skin. Our guide to rhodium plating covers that.

On labels, the EU glossary of common ingredient names for cosmetics (Decision (EU) 2019/701) lists PALLADIUM as entry 16356 and PLATINUM as entry 18726, and we found no exact entry for NICKEL in the glossary text. Jewellery is not a cosmetic, so these names do not govern how a jeweller describes an alloy.

A karat stamp does not name the alloy (see gold karats and nickel). Useful questions for a maker, framed as our reading of the sources rather than medical advice: what metals make up the white colour, is it plated, and does the piece meet the EU nickel release limits described in the EU nickel rules.

Where to go next

• Platinum is covered in is platinum hypoallergenic.
• For rings, see nickel-free wedding rings.
• Broader context: nickel allergy and jewellery, what hypoallergenic jewellery means, gold plated, filled and vermeil, titanium grades, hypoallergenic jewelry and gold earrings.
• Hub: Ingredients & materials.

For questions about your own skin, ask a dermatologist or an allergy society.