Liquid chromatographic determination of tolnaftate in commercial products

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method for the determination of the antifungal agent tolnaftate was developed. Isolation of the analyte was achieved by direct extraction or dilution with acetonitrile-water (80 + 20) followed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography using a C18 column. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-water (80 + 20) acidified with phosphoric acid. Detection was by UV absorption at a wavelength of 257 nm. The proposed procedure was applied to 20 consumer products comprising 6 formulation types, including solutions, powders, liquid and power aerosols, creams, and gels. The precision (RSD) for the products ranged from 0.23 to 1.16% (n = 5), and recoveries via fortification ranged from 98.1 to 103.0%. Six different brands of C18 columns were evaluated for use with the method. The overall simplicity and versatility of the method suggest possible adaptations to both regulatory and quality-control situations.