Content of suspected allergens and preservatives in marketed baby and child care products

Abstract

Baby hygiene and care products are daily used cosmetics intended to cleanse and protect the delicate skin of babies. However, the formulation of this kind of product may contain a highly complex mixture of chemicals such as fragrances and preservatives, some of which have been shown to act as strong sensitizers and allergens. As a result of the widespread use of these compounds in baby care products, there is an increasing social concern about the possible harmful consequences that the exposure to some of these ingredients could have on babies' health. To ensure a high level of protection, in the European framework, both preservatives and suspected fragrance allergens are subject to restrictions according to the EU Cosmetic Directive. Due to the special sensitivity of infants, further restrictions and conditions are applied to these substances in cosmetics intended to be used for children under three. In this work a wide analytical screening of a great variety of rinse-off and leave-on products and personal care products (PCPs) targeted for infant care was accomplished. Matrix-solid phase dispersion (MSPD) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) procedures followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were successfully applied for the determination of 38 targets (25 suspected allergen fragrances and 13 preservatives). Although compliance with the current EU Cosmetic Regulation was fulfilled regarding the fragrances and preservatives limits, the results reveal the high allergenic content in some products intended to be in prolonged contact with the baby's skin. The results further highlight that some of the target compounds have been omitted in the label.