The Health Risk Assessment of Some Toxic Metals in Some Commonly Demand Facial Cosmetics in Benghazi-Libya Markets During 2022

Overview

Ali, Ahmida, Busaadia, El-zwaey, Towier, and Ahmida measured chromium (Cr), Fe, nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in facial cosmetics purchased from Benghazi, Libya shops during 2022. The study covered mascara, lipstick, and foundation cream and reported concentrations in mg/kg finished product. Sample codes are de-identified, so this page preserves product-form means/ranges and code-level maxima without attaching any brand to a contamination value.

Key numbers

• Study identity: Advanced Journal of Chemistry-Section B article 6(2), pages 127-136; DOI 10.48309/AJCB.2024.429051.1220; article ID AJCB-2312-1220.
• Sample frame: 18 facial cosmetic products were randomly collected from Benghazi cosmetic shops, comprising 6 lipsticks, 6 mascaras, and 6 foundation creams. Table 2 lists three de-identified codes per product type (M1-M3, L1-L3, F1-F3), and Table 4 marks each product-type mean as n = 6.
• Table 4 basis: all metal concentrations are reported as mg/kg in finished cosmetic product. Each code-level value is the average of two separated determinations.
• Detection limits: Table 4 reports DLs of 0.5 ppb for Cd, 3 ppb for Fe, 10 ppb for Pb, and 2ppb for both Cr and Ni.
• Mascara, Table 4 (mg/kg): Cr mean 0.066 ±0.03, range 0.045-0.1; Fe mean 102.80 ±7.3, range 96.31-111.93; Ni mean 0.16 ±0.05, range 0.11-0.22; Pb mean 0.66 ±0.44, range 0.11-1.068; Cd mean 0.030 ±0.05, range <DL-0.091.
• Lipstick, Table 4 (mg/kg): Cr mean 0.0067 ±0.01, range <DL-0.020; Fe mean 117.80±22.0, range 90.51-138.27; Ni mean 0.45 ±0.07, range 0.42-0.58; Pb mean 0.12 ±0.07, range 0.066-0.21; Cd mean 0.15 ±0.04, range 0.12-0.20.
• Foundation cream, Table 4 (mg/kg): Cr mean 0.39 ±0.10, range 0.30-0.52; Fe mean 74.10 ±7.8, range 65.13-82.41; Ni mean 2.88 ±1.8, range 1.020-5.051; Pb mean 1.85 ±0.4, range 1.50-2.11; Cd mean 0.31 ±0.06, range 0.25-0.38.
• Code-level maxima, Table 4 (mg/kg): foundation code F3 had Ni 5.051 ±0.04, Pb 2.11 ±0.004, and Cd 0.38 ±0.005; foundation code F2 had Cr 0.52 ±0.008 and Fe 82.41 ±1.2; lipstick code L3 had Fe 138.27±1.3.
• Table 5 reported chronic daily intake ranges across cosmetic types as 8.86×10-7-1.02×10-4 mg/day for Cr, 1.71×10-4-0.18 mg/day for Fe, 6.62×10-6-1.85×10-3 mg/day for Ni, 4.26×10-6-1.03×10-3 mg/day for Pb, and 7.11×10-7-2.35×10-4 mg/day for Cd.
• Table 6 reported hazard index (HI) values of 2.0×10-2 for mascara, 5.0×10-2 for lipstick, and 2.1×10-4 for foundation cream; all individual HQ values were below 1.

Methods (brief)

The authors collected facial cosmetic products from Benghazi shops, grouped them as mascara, lipstick, and foundation cream, and mixed the same brands of each makeup sample for homogeneity. For digestion, 1 g of each sample was treated with 10 mL concentrated acid mixture of nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and perchloric acid in a 1:1:1 ratio, kept overnight, heated at 60 °C for 15 minutes, then heated at 130 °C for 1 hour. Digests were diluted to 25 mL, filtered through Whatman 41 paper, and analysed using a GBC model 932 Plus Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer with air-acetylene flame and deuterium background correction. The article reports duplicate determinations and detection limits, but it does not report CRM checks, spike recoveries, LOQs, or uncertainty beyond code-level SDs.

Speciation: chromium is reported as total Cr, not Cr(VI). The study did not measure arsenic, mercury, or metal species.

Related evidence

• Makeup — foundation, powders, blush/rouge
• Eye makeup (liners, shadows, mascara, brow products, false lash adhesives, lash/eyebrow serums)
• Lip products (lipstick, gloss, lip liner, adult lip balm)
• Chromium
• Iron
• Nickel
• Lead
• Cadmium

Update history

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