Cells expressing the chemoattractant receptor‐homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2) and the chemokine C receptor (CCR)4 were consistently detected in the circulation of healthy subjects, whereas numbers of cells expressing CCR3 were much lower. While all CCR4⁺ cells were T cells, a small proportion of CRTH2⁺, and about a half of the few CCR3⁺ cells were basophils. Only CRTH2⁺ T cells contained Th2 or Tc2 cells, but neither Th0 or Tc0, nor Th1 or Tc1 cells, although not all of them produced Th2‐type cytokines. By contrast, CCR4⁺ T cells contained both Th2 or Tc2 and Th0 or Tc0 cells and even Th1 or Tc1 cells, whereas the few CCR3⁺ T cells were not clearly classifiable for their cytokine profile. CRTH2⁺ T lymphocytes were virtually devoid of chemokine CX receptor (CXCR)3⁺ and CCR5⁺ cells, but enriched in CCR3⁺ and CCR4⁺ cells. By contrast, CCR3⁺ or CCR4⁺ T cells did not show a similar clear‐cut dichotomy in the expression of CCR5/CXCR3 or CCR3/ CCR4. Subjects with atopic dermatitis or HIV infection with low levels of circulating CD4⁺ T cells revealed a significant increase of CRTH2⁺ cells within both the CD4⁺ and the CD8⁺ T cell subset. These data support the concept that at present CRTH2 is the more reliable marker for detection of both human Th2 and Tc2 cells in health and disease.