Toxic and potentially toxic elements determination in cosmetics used for make-up: A critical review

The daily use of cosmetics may expose consumers to localized skin problems and systemic effects caused by absorption of chemical elements. The requirements for suitable quality control and maximum limits for toxic and potentially toxic elements in cosmetics have attracted the attention of the scientific community and of the official institutions around the world. Maximum limits for chemical elements in some cosmetics have been set, but there are disagreements between them. In the same context, many analytical methods have been proposed in the literature, but several challenges during the sample preparation and determination steps related to the high complexity of cosmetics' matrices composition still remain. It is extremely difficulty to establish suitable methods, free of interference, even using modern technology. In this review, methods for determining toxic and potentially toxic elements in cosmetics used for make-up on the lips and on the eye area, covering the period since 2000, are presented. Techniques enabling direct analysis and those requiring a sample preparation step prior to the analysis are also discussed. This review focused on cosmetics for make-up on the lips and on the eye area because the risks of percutaneous absorption and oral ingestion of toxic and potentially toxic elements is higher than in other body regions.