Toxicity assessment of popular baby skin care products from Indian market using microbial bioassays and chemical methods

Abstract

Specialized cosmetic products for infant use are gaining a lot of popularity in the Indian as well as global market, as these products have become an inseparable part of modern urban lifestyle. Baby cosmetics are available in a wide range. They claim to be milder than similar products meant for adult use. However, these products need to be checked for their safety through a battery of assays based on biological systems, along with the ones based on chemical and physical protocols. This study attempts to test different baby cosmetic products using one prokaryotic and one eukaryotic assay system. Chemical protocols prescribed by cosmetic product controlling organizations of India are also used to estimate the quantity of harmful heavy metals like arsenic, lead and cadmium if present in the samples. Few of the products tested have shown significant toxicity as well as heavy metal content. The results hold a lot of importance keeping in mind the extra sensitivity of an infant body. It is further suggested that studies using cell based and in vivo test systems should be done to confirm the findings.