Rapid UHPLC-MS/MS Detection of Prohibited Drugs in Cosmetics Using Pass-Through SPE

Prolonged exposure to drugs prohibited in cosmetics may cause irritation and allergic reactions in humans. In this study, a method using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was established for the simultaneous determination of 64 prohibited drugs spanning 11 categories, including 39 antibiotics, 8 antiallergics, 7 anesthetics, and 10 hormones. Typical cosmetic samples containing toner, cream, and oil matrices were extracted using a 70% acetonitrile solvent system with 1% formic acid and purified using a pass-through cleanup solid-phase extraction approach with a PRiME hydrophobic-lipophilic balanced column. Analytes covering a wide range of polarities showed excellent recoveries between 70 and 120%, with relative standard deviations of <11%. Excellent sensitivities ranging from 0.1 to 1 μg/kg were achieved with the limits of quantification. This method provides a rapid and comprehensive targeted strategy for the analysis of multiclass prohibited drugs in various cosmetic matrices. Finally, analysis of 20 cosmetic products using the optimized method identified prohibited substances in 6 samples at concentrations spanning 7 orders of magnitude.