Eastern Kentucky University
Chemical Analysis of Cosmetics to Determine Possible Health Risks
Institution
Eastern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Darrin Smith
Abstract
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has created an online database where consumers can search for specific brands of cosmetics and find a hazard rating for each cosmetic and a list of potentially toxic compounds. To ensure the credibility of this database that is trusted by so many consumers, chemical analysis was performed on certain cosmetics. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectroscopy detection, two common cosmetics used by consumers, foundation and lipstick, were analyzed for compounds that are considered toxic by the (EWG) database. These techniques separate the individual compounds that constitute a cosmetic sample and the resulting chromatograms contain peaks at specific retention times that represent a specific compound. Utilizing mass spectrometry makes it possible to derive the molecular weight and structure of each compound. The selected samples were screened for the following compounds of interest: methylparabens, phthalates (dibutyl-, dimethyl-, and diethyl-), and propylene glycol. After screening, any compounds present in the sample were further analyzed quantitatively. An additional avenue of this project was to compare organic cosmetic brands to non-organic brands to see if a natural alternative of cosmetics is less hazardous to a consumer’s health. These organic brands were tested using the same instrumentation and for the same compounds. This research stresses the need for consumers to individually research products in order to make wise purchasing decisions.
Chemical Analysis of Cosmetics to Determine Possible Health Risks
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has created an online database where consumers can search for specific brands of cosmetics and find a hazard rating for each cosmetic and a list of potentially toxic compounds. To ensure the credibility of this database that is trusted by so many consumers, chemical analysis was performed on certain cosmetics. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectroscopy detection, two common cosmetics used by consumers, foundation and lipstick, were analyzed for compounds that are considered toxic by the (EWG) database. These techniques separate the individual compounds that constitute a cosmetic sample and the resulting chromatograms contain peaks at specific retention times that represent a specific compound. Utilizing mass spectrometry makes it possible to derive the molecular weight and structure of each compound. The selected samples were screened for the following compounds of interest: methylparabens, phthalates (dibutyl-, dimethyl-, and diethyl-), and propylene glycol. After screening, any compounds present in the sample were further analyzed quantitatively. An additional avenue of this project was to compare organic cosmetic brands to non-organic brands to see if a natural alternative of cosmetics is less hazardous to a consumer’s health. These organic brands were tested using the same instrumentation and for the same compounds. This research stresses the need for consumers to individually research products in order to make wise purchasing decisions.