Overview
This page is a scaffolded entry for HMTc Taxonomy v2.0 Category 13 (Cosmetics and Personal Care — Leave-on), Row 10: Sun/suntan products (including spray, self-tan, airbrush). Studies for this row are still being read. Where a section is empty, the row has not yet accumulated contributing sources of the required kind.
Literature scope
The source corpus includes primary measurements of material sold for topical sun protection. Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of clays from Durban (South Africa) for applications in cosmetics characterized red and white market clays from Durban, South Africa, using X-ray fluorescence after drying and grinding. This narrow evidence concerns traditional cosmetic clay; it does not establish concentrations in infant sunscreen, formulated lotions, or the wider sun-product market. The Cosmetic clay page retains this material distinction, and the source record preserves the individual sample values, nondetections and analytical limitations.
Reading guide
Legal, regulatory and retailer teams can use the cited measurements, applicable limits and study limitations to assess the evidence for this category.
Quality teams can examine product form, measurement basis and sources of variation. Journalists and researchers can follow each reference to the original findings and methods.
Related tools and pages: heavymetalcertified.com · methodology
Evidence summary
Sources for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Source Evidence Inventory
Sources for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Supporting evidence and scope
Broader-scope sources for this row will be listed here when they are catalogued.
Federal/Regulatory Limits vs Field Findings
Regulatory limits for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Controls and mitigation
Practical interventions to reduce heavy-metal load in this row, ordered by impact magnitude. Each lever names the magnitude of the effect with a cited source; cross-links to dedicated Mitigation pages where they exist.
- Sourcing levers — Not yet catalogued.
- Agronomic levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Agronomic mitigation for general agronomic mitigation context.)
- Processing levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Processing mitigation.)
- Formulation levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Formulation mitigation.)
- Testing and QC levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Testing and quality-control mitigation when published.)
- Packaging and storage levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Packaging and storage mitigation when published.)
Measured ranges from the evidence register
Computed from reviewed rows in the structured evidence register for this page: total element content in the product as sold, in mg/kg, one purchased unit per result. These are single commercially tested units from grey literature, not a market distribution. Non-detects are counted against the reporting limit the laboratory printed and are not treated as zero. Rows attached to an unresolved flag, repeated reports of the same test, non-detects without a printed limit, unstated bases, and screening results from a food-validated digestion are not included.
Sources: Chart Comparing the Toxicant Profiles of Popular Sunscreen Products.
How standards math uses this page
HMT&C certification thresholds for this row are developed under the certification program at heavymetalcertified.com, not on this page. The row-standard for this row is an aggregate computed from the contributing source pool in the row’s native finished-product basis; it is not a per-source decoration of any single value cited on this page. This public page reports literature evidence only.
Historical recalls and enforcement
Public regulatory events for this row, such as recalls and import alerts, will be listed here as they are catalogued.
Methodology
This page reports what the cited sources say about heavy-metal concentrations in sun/suntan products (including spray, self-tan, airbrush). Speciation is non-substitutable (iAs vs tAs, MeHg vs tHg, Cr-VI vs total Cr). Basis is preserved (finished-product as sold unless the source specifies otherwise; see each row for the basis label). Non-detect handling follows each source’s reporting convention. Pooling is avoided across LOD/LOQ, period, geography, and analytical-basis differences. HMT&C certification thresholds for products in this row are developed under the certification program at heavymetalcertified.com, not on this page; this public page reports literature evidence only.
The applicable regulatory jurisdictions for this row are: FDA cosmetics, EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009.
References
Works cited in this page’s text, in first-appearance order. See Sources for this page’s source inventory. Each title links to a source record with bibliographic details, reported findings, and document provenance.
- Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of clays from Durban (South Africa) for applications in cosmeticsPeer-reviewed
- Chart Comparing the Toxicant Profiles of Popular Sunscreen ProductsNGO
Sources
Sources for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Sources
Source records associated with this topic. Inclusion does not establish that every finding applies to this product or ingredient. References above identify works cited in the text.
| # | Citation | Year | Type | Used on this page for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health 2026. 35 Sunscreens Tested: No Benzene Detected, Lead Found in All 35. Sunscreen Contaminant Screening: Residual Solvents and Heavy Metals, Oasis Science Testing Program, oasishealth.app, findings report, Order No. 594282, last updated September 2026 | 2026 | Industry | US Pb, Cd, tAs, tHg occurrence in 35 retail sunscreen products (lotions, sticks and aerosol sprays; four with ‘mineral’ in the certificate name, two kids… (n=35) |
| 2 | Rubin et al. 2026. Chart Comparing the Toxicant Profiles of Popular Sunscreen Products, tamararubin.com (Lead Safe Mama, LLC), posted 28 May 2026; chart Draft 2.1 updated 19 April 2026 | 2026 | NGO report | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 3 | Alblooshi 2025. The impact of perfumes and cosmetic products on human health: a narrative review, Frontiers in Toxicology 7:1646075 (Frontiers in Toxicology; published 29 August 2025; corrected 16 December 2025) | 2025 | Review | US/EU/CA Pb, Cd, tHg, tAs, Ni, Cr, Cr-VI occurrence in Single-author narrative review compiling peer-reviewed literature published 2005–2025 on health impacts of perfumes and cosmetic products. Sources drawn… |
| 4 | Barabash et al. 2025. Release of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles from sunscreens into natural waters: detection and discrimination from natural particles using SP ICP-ToF-MS, Environmental Science: Nano 12:4994-5007 | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | CA Zn, Ti, Al, Fe, Mn, Cr occurrence in Two unbranded commercial mineral sunscreens designated SS1 and SS2. SS1 contained 24.08% (w/w) ZnO per the manufacturer’s specification;… (n=2) |
| 5 | Bashir et al. 2025. Heavy metal in cosmetics and its risk to future generation in remote area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Trarkhel District Sudhnoti, Scientific Reports 15: 43847 | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | PK Pb, Cd, Cu, Co, Ag, Ni, Zn, tAs, Mn, tHg occurrence in 30 cosmetic products purchased from local markets in Trarkhel, District Sudhnoti, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K), Pakistan, 2023:… (n=30) |
| 6 | Nkosi et al. 2024. Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of clays from Durban (South Africa) for applications in cosmetics, Analytical Science Advances | 2024 | Peer-reviewed | ZA Pb, Cr, Ni, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Zn occurrence in One red and one white clay sample bought at Durban Berea Market, reported as harvested from uMzinyathi, KwaZulu-Natal,… (n=2) |
| 7 | Ali et al. 2023. Determination of heavy metals and their associated health risk assessment in the commonly available sunblocks, International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry | 2023 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 8 | Axford et al. 2023. A Feasibility Study Investigating Action Limits for Certain Heavy Metal Impurities in Cosmetic Products, UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), BEIS/OPSS Contract Ref FM21190; report prepared by LGC | 2023 | Government report | UK/EU/US Sb, tAs, Cd, Pb, tHg occurrence in 91 cosmetic products purchased from UK high-street stores and online retailers (~70/30 split) across low, mid and high… (n=91) |
| 9 | Almukainzi et al. 2022. Quality and safety investigation of commonly used topical cosmetic preparations, Scientific Reports 12:18299 | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | SA/US/EU Pb, Cd, tAs, Al, Cr, Cu, Ni, Fe, Zn, Mn, Co occurrence in Twenty-one topical cosmetic products purchased from local markets and drug stores in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Product selection was… (n=21) |
| 10 | BfR 2020. FAQs about aluminium in food and products intended for consumers, BfR FAQ of 20 July 2020 | 2020 | Government report | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 11 | Rodríguez-Romero et al. 2019. Sunscreens as a New Source of Metals and Nutrients to Coastal Waters, Environmental Science & Technology 53(17):10177-10187 | 2019 | Peer-reviewed | ES/EU Pb, Cd, Ni, Al, Ti, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo occurrence in One commercial SPF 50 sun protection milk spray containing nano titanium dioxide, bought for leaching experiments in filtered… (n=1) |
| 12 | Schneider et al. 2019. A review of inorganic UV filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, Photodermatology, Photoimmunology and Photomedicine 35(6):442-446. DOI printed 10.1111/phpp.12439. | 2019 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 13 | Ruszkiewicz et al. 2017. Neurotoxic effect of active ingredients in sunscreen products, a contemporary review, Toxicology Reports 4:245-259 | 2017 | Peer-reviewed | US/EU Zn, Ti occurrence in Narrative review of published literature on the neurotoxicity of six organic UV filters (octyl methoxycinnamate / OMC, benzophenone-3… |
| 14 | Holmes et al. 2016. Relative penetration of zinc oxide and zinc ions into human skin after application of different zinc oxide formulations, ACS Nano 10(2):1810-1819. This copy is the Just Accepted manuscript dated 7 January 2016. | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 15 | Leite-Silva et al. 2016. Human skin penetration and local effects of topical nano zinc oxide after occlusion and barrier impairment, European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 104:140-147 | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 16 | Zmozinski et al. 2016. Determination of Pb and Cr in sunscreen samples by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, Microchemical Journal 128:89-94 | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 17 | Filon et al. 2015. Nanoparticles skin absorption: New aspects for a safety profile evaluation, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology | 2015 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 18 | Hepp et al. 2014. Survey of cosmetics for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, and nickel content, Journal of Cosmetic Science 65: 125-145 (May/June 2014) | 2014 | Peer-reviewed | US tAs, Cd, Cr, Co, Pb, tHg, Ni occurrence in 150 cosmetic products of 12 types sold on the U.S. market, purchased April 22 - August 16, 2011… (n=150) |
| 19 | Tovar-Sánchez et al. 2013. Sunscreen Products as Emerging Pollutants to Coastal Waters, PLoS ONE 8(6):e65451 | 2013 | Peer-reviewed | ES/EU Ti, Zn, Al, Fe, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn occurrence in Seven commercial sunscreens analysed for metals (supplementary Table S2); 13 commercial sunscreens in the separate nutrient-release experiment; nearshore… (n=7) |
| 20 | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011. Exposure Factors Handbook: 2011 Edition — Chapter 17, Consumer Products, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA/600/R-09/052F | 2011 | Government report | Chapter 17 of the U.S. EPA’s 2011 Exposure Factors Handbook (EFH) compiles consumer-product use and exposure data — frequency of… |
| 21 | Tjandraatmadja et al. 2010. Sources of contaminants in domestic wastewater: nutrients and additional elements from household products, CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship Report (Smart Water Fund Round 3 — Project 5), February 2010 (ISSN 1835-095X) | 2010 | Industry | AU Sb, Cr, Co, Mo, Se occurrence in One hundred and fifty-six household and personal-care products purchased from major supermarkets in Melbourne, Australia between February and… (n=156) |
| 22 | Zachariadis et al. 2009. Multi-element method for determination of trace elements in sunscreens by ICP-AES, Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis | 2009 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
Update history
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