Chaiyasut et al. 2018 — Heavy metals in coffee-extract cosmetic preparations
Chaiyasut et al. formulated body lotion and hand moisturizing cream with Arabica and civet coffee extracts, then tested stability, pH, microbial counts, and heavy metals after accelerated storage. The heavy-metal component is directly relevant to leave-on personal-care products: lead was not detected, arsenic was reported below 0.16 mg/kg, and mercury remained below 0.09 mg/kg in body lotion and below 0.09-0.28 mg/kg in hand moisturizing cream. The paper supports occurrence-style evidence for finished cosmetic preparations containing coffee-derived ingredients, but it does not measure metals in beverage coffee or roasted coffee as food.
Key numbers
Table 4 reports heavy metals in body lotion and hand moisturizing cream after storage at 40°C for 3 months. The analytical basis is finished cosmetic product, reported as mg/kg product.
| Matrix | Product/formula scope | Lead | Arsenic | Mercury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body lotion | Formula 1 control plus formulas 2-3 with Arabica or civet coffee extract | Not detected | <0.16 mg/kg | <0.09 mg/kg |
| Hand moisturizing cream | Formula 1 control plus formulas 2-3 with Arabica or civet coffee extract | Not detected | <0.16 mg/kg | <0.09-0.28 mg/kg |
The authors compare these values with Thai Industrial Standard TIS 478-2555 limits for skin-care products: lead <20 mg/kg, arsenic <5 mg/kg, and mercury <1 mg/kg.
Methods (brief)
Arabica coffee and civet coffee were extracted either by coffee-machine extraction or with 80% propylene glycol at a 1:10 ratio. The extracts were incorporated into body lotion and hand moisturizing cream at 5% or 10% extract concentration; formula 1 served as the no-extract control. The products were stored at 4°C, 30°C, and 40°C for 3 months for stability testing. Heavy metals were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry; the paper reports lead, arsenic, and mercury, without speciation beyond total element names.
Implications
Certification: This paper is useful as a low-level occurrence reference for leave-on skin-care products that use coffee-derived botanical ingredients. It should not be used as coffee food evidence, and it should not substitute total arsenic for inorganic arsenic or total mercury for methylmercury.
Courses: The study is a compact example of why ingredient identity and finished-product matrix must be kept separate. Coffee as a beverage ingredient and coffee extract in a leave-on cosmetic are different exposure surfaces.
App: The values can support a personal-care context flag for coffee-derived botanical ingredients in leave-on products, with the basis preserved as finished cosmetic product.
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Verification notes
The DOI and bibliographic metadata were taken from the PDF first page and the downloaded wishlist row. The wishlist row requested coffee total arsenic occurrence, but the actual source is a personal-care formulation study, not a beverage coffee or roasted-coffee food-occurrence study. The source reports total arsenic and total mercury only; it does not provide inorganic arsenic, methylmercury, LOD/LOQ values, or brand-level consumer-product data.
Page history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page. The full version history lives in git; when DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.