Assessment of Adulteration of Cosmetics Based on Vegetable Oils by GC-FID and Lipid Profile Using Direct Infusion Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS)

Jessica Pizzo,Marília Galuch,Lorena Visentainer,Oscar Santos,Jesuí Visentainer,Marcos Eberlin,Patrícia Santos

doi:10.21577/0103-5053.20180123

Abstract

Vegetable oils have properties that are beneficial to the human skin, and so, they are being used increasingly as ingredients of many cosmetic preparations; however, they are targets of adulteration. This study will evaluate the authenticity of Brazilian cosmetics based on vegetable oils (sesame, peanut, sunflower, and almonds) to determine the composition of fatty acids by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and the percentage of fatty acids in conjunction with chemometric treatments (principal component analysis), and lipid profiles using direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The results obtained were compared with the respective pure vegetable oils. Of the seven brands analyzed, three were revealed as authentic, three were found to be adulterated with the addition of large amounts of soybean oil, and one showed no vegetable oils. These results demonstrate the relevance of quality control for cosmetics based on vegetable oils, which are more susceptible to adulteration owing to their higher cost when compared with vegetable oils such as soybean.

Highlights

Vegetable oils are complex chemical mixtures containing mainly triacylglycerides (TAG) and small amounts of vitamins, pigments, free fatty acids, monoacylglycerides, and diacylglycerides.[1]Vegetable oils have been applied to human skin for cosmetic purposes for a long time because of their beneficial properties
The fatty acid composition and lipid profiles of each cosmetic were obtained via gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-flame ionization detector (FID)) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-mass spectrometer (MS)), respectively, and compared with the results obtained for pure vegetable oil profile and soybean oil
As shown by the results presented in Table 2, it was found that the compositions of sesame, sunflower, peanut, and soybean oils fatty acids are in accordance with the Codex standards.[15]

Summary

Introduction

Vegetable oils are complex chemical mixtures containing mainly triacylglycerides (TAG) and small amounts of vitamins, pigments, free fatty acids, monoacylglycerides, and diacylglycerides.[1]Vegetable oils have been applied to human skin for cosmetic purposes for a long time because of their beneficial properties. Cosmetics with a vegetable oil base (sesame, peanut, sunflower, and almonds) were analyzed The fatty acid composition and lipid profiles of each cosmetic were obtained via GC-FID and ESI-MS, respectively, and compared with the results obtained for pure vegetable oil profile (the raw materials used for their manufacture) and soybean oil.

Results

Conclusion