Toxicological analytical methods for metals identification in cosmetics

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cosmetic Toxicology involves the study of substances contained in beauty products that can accumulate in the body such as lead (Pb), aluminum (Al), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe). These substances reach tissues and the bloodstream and can cause long-term damage such as hormonal disorders and carcinogenic events. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the toxicological analytical methods commonly used in the identification and/or quantification of heavy metal cosmetic ingredients. METHODS: A literature review was conducted with a targeted search of scientific articles during the month of June 2019 in the PubMed and Scielo databases published between 2009 and 2019, using the keywords: toxicology, cosmetic, metal. RESULTS: Spectrometry is the most widely used toxicological method in the detection of heavy metals in cosmetics and presents good accuracy and reliability. In the analyzed studies, several spectrometry variations were used, such as Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry, Optical Emission Spectrometry. Among the products analyzed for metals, lipstick was the most prevalent cosmetic (in 69% of cases), followed by eye shadows (in 38.4% of articles). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of heavy metals such as Pb, Al, Cr, Cd seems to be widely present in cosmetics such as lipsticks and eye shadows, at levels above the considerable safe.