RESEARCH - Determination of total lead in lipstick

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J Cosmet Sci. 2009 Jul-Aug;60(4):405-14.

Determination of total lead in lipstick: development and validation of

a microwave-assisted digestion, inductively coupled plasma-mass

spectrometric method.

Hepp NM, Mindak WR, Cheng J.

Office of Cosmetics and Colors, Center for Food Safety and Applied

Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740,

USA.

Recent reports describing the presence of lead (Pb) in lipsticks have

suggested that, under ordinary use, the potential amount of Pb

exposure is harmful. To permit independent assessment of the Pb

contamination, a method for determining total Pb in lipstick using

microwave-assisted digestion and analysis employing inductively

coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed and validated.

Since lipsticks may contain fats, oils, pigments, dyes, and minerals,

several reference materials (RM) were analyzed, including coal, wear

metals in oil, organic Pb in oil, milk powder, and estuarine sediment.

With the exception of the RM with mineral content (estuarine

sediment), complete recovery of Pb from the RMs was obtained by simple

nitric acid (HNO(3)) digestion. Complete recovery of Pb from estuarine

sediment was achieved only when hydrofluoric acid (HF) was added to

the digestion mix, followed by treatment with excess boric acid

(H(3)BO(3)) to neutralize the HF and to dissolve insoluble fluorides.

Commercial lipsticks were tested for total Pb by the validated method.

The detection limit was estimated to be 0.04 microg Pb/g. The average

value obtained for the lipsticks was 1.07 microg/g. Undigested

material was present in some lipstick digests when only HNO(3) was

used, and generally lower Pb values were obtained. All of the Pb

levels found by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were

within the range the agency would expect to find in lipsticks

formulated with permitted color additives and other ingredients

prepared under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions. This

method will be useful for the FDA and industry in helping to ensure

the safety of cosmetic products.

PMID: 19691936

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19691936

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