Study Design on the Presence of Metals in Moisturisers, and Compliance with Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, on Cosmetic Products

Abstract

Metals are present in cosmetics due to deliberate addition by the manufacturers, contamination of raw materials, and/or contamination during their manufacture or storage. The objective of this work was to explore the metal content in the most-consumed moisturising creams on the Spanish market, to verify their degree of compliance with Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, regarding the presence of metals in cosmetics. The moisturisers were digested (microwave-assisted acid digestion) and analysed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for metal assessment. The ICP-MS measurements were successfully validated (RSDs lower than 5% and analytical recoveries within the 91–110% range). Metals banned in cosmetics were found at very low concentrations in some of the moisturisers, as inevitable traces of pollutants. This was the case with beryllium (found in only two samples, at concentrations lower than 0.10 µg g−1), cadmium (found at 0.075 µg g−1 in one sample), mercury (found in four samples at concentrations within the 0.10–0.18 µg g−1 range), and lead (also found in four samples at concentrations from 0.03 to 0.44 µg g−1). Furthermore, nickel (0.16–0.56 µg g−1, six samples), chromium (0.09–0.30 µg g−1, three samples), and cobalt (lower than 0.13 µg g−1, two samples) were also found in the analysed creams.

Mass-Spectrometry-Based Research of Cosmetic Ingredients

“…This makes ICP-MS an essential tool for ensuring the safety and compliance of cosmetics, as it helps identify potential contaminants and ensures that products meet regulatory standards, safeguarding consumer wellbeing [ 250 ]. ICP-MS was used in many studies related to heavy metal analysis in cosmetics and proved to be a good choice for determining low analyte concentrations, thus allowing the evaluation of toxic and potentially toxic components in cosmetics [ 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 , 228 , 251 , 252 , 253 , 254 , 255 , 256 , 257 , 258 , 259 ].…”

“…In addition to many studies that are focused on trace metal analyses in cosmetic matrices like colored make-up products (as a lot of pigments contain metal compounds), Rujido-Santos et al [ 259 ] analyzed the metal content in the most commonly used moisturizing creams on the Spanish market, to verify their degree of compliance with [ 274 ] regarding the presence of metals in cosmetics, as they have various functions in formulations of these cosmetic products [ 275 ]. The study used a validated methodology based on microwave-assisted acid digestion of the samples followed by ICP-MS and showed that most of the analyzed products did not comply with Regulation (EC) No.…”