Quantification of Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) in Anhydrous Cosmetics Using ¹H NMR

Abstract

In cosmetic products, hydrocarbons from mineral oil origin are used as ingredients in a wide variety of consistency, from liquid oil to solid wax. Refined mineral oil hydrocarbons consist of MOSH (mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons) and a low proportion of MOAH (mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons). MOSH and MOAH comprise a variety of chemically similar single substances with straight or branched chains. In the context of precautionary consumer protection, it is crucial to determine hydrocarbons from mineral oil origin of inferior quality quickly and efficiently. This publication presents a rapid method for quantifying MOAH by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H qNMR) in anhydrous cosmetics such as lipstick, lip gloss, and lip balm. A sample clean-up using solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for the complete removal of interfering aromatic substances to improve the robustness of the method for analysing compounded cosmetics. In preliminary trials using silica gel thin-layer chromatography, the retention behaviour of 21 common aromatic compounds was tested in eluents with different solvent strength including EtOAc, MeOH, cyclohexane, and dichloromethane. Based on these results, the SPE sample cleanup with silica gel and cyclohexane as an eluent was suggested as best suitable for the purpose. The SPE cleanup was successfully achieved for all tested potentially interfering aromatic cosmetic ingredients except for butylated hydroxytoluene. The recovery for lipophilic cosmetics is more than 80% based on naphthalene as calculation equivalent. Furthermore, a specific sample preparation for the examination of lipsticks was implemented. The SPE cleanup was validated, and the robustness of the method was tested on 57 samples from the retail trade. The 1H qNMR method is a good complement to the LC-GC-FID method, which is predominantly used for the determination of MOSH and MOAH. Chromatographic problems such as migration of MOSH into the MOAH fraction during LC-GC-FID can be avoided.

Mineral oils and waxes in cosmetics: an overview mainly based on the current European regulations and the safety profile of these compounds

“…Another independent testing also demonstrated that a high number of lip care products (8/57, 14% of tested products) from the German retail trade contained high MOAH levels (0.4% to 1.6% w/w), similar to levels in mineral oils of technical quality. 12 Overall, the German BfR concluded from their global risk assessment based on a systematic literature review on mineral oils that no health risk for the consumer can arise from the cutaneous application of cosmetic products containing pharmaceutical-and food-grade mineral oils. 8 Moreover, health risks are not to be expected from oral intake of highly refined mineral oils, if lip care products comply with the recommendation of Cosmetics Europe.…”

“…Moreover, many lip care products contained >5% or >10% of MOSH with a chain length <C25, which is higher than the 5% recommended by Cosmetics Europe for lip care products, thus potentially exposing consumers to these more strongly absorbed MOSH. Another independent testing also demonstrated that a high number of lip care products (8/57, 14% of tested products) from the German retail trade contained high MOAH levels (0.4% to 1.6% w/w), similar to levels in mineral oils of technical quality . Overall, the German BfR concluded from their global risk assessment based on a systematic literature review on mineral oils that no health risk for the consumer can arise from the cutaneous application of cosmetic products containing pharmaceutical‐ and food‐grade mineral oils .…”