Application of the ICP-OES and SEM-EDS Techniques for Elemental Analysis of Various Types of Cosmetic Products with Antiperspirant and Deodorant Properties Available on the EU Market

Overview

Maćkiewicz et al. measured elemental composition in 72 deodorants and antiperspirants available on the Polish/EU market using ICP-OES, with selected SEM-EDS confirmation. The sample set covered roll-on, stick, and solid mineral alum products, including aluminium-based, aluminium-zirconium-based, natural compound-based, and alcohol-based formulations. The paper uses percent, mg/L, and a table labelled [mg/kg] in different places; this page preserves the source’s own unit labels and flags the inconsistency rather than converting values.

Key numbers

The 72 samples included 57 antiperspirants and 15 deodorants. By form, there were 58 roll-ons, 7 sticks, and 7 mineral alum products. By active-substance group, the study lists 49 aluminium-based products, 8 aluminium-zirconium-based products, 12 natural compound-based products, and 3 alcohol-based products. The study did not include sprays.

Aluminium was the dominant element in many formulations. The abstract reports aluminium concentrations of 0.9% to 4.4% in antiperspirants and up to 4.7% in potassium-aluminium alums. Section 2.1 reports a maximum aluminum (Al) value of 4.682% in a solid potassium-aluminium alum deodorant, more than 42% of samples above 3% Al, and four samples below 0.1% Al.

Zirconium reached 3% in a women’s antiperspirant stick containing aluminium-zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY. The paper reports that 11% of tested samples contained more than 0.5% Zr; two men’s antiperspirant samples without labelled zirconium-containing compounds had measured Zr concentrations of 0.357% and 0.4541%.

Lead was quantified in a large subset of samples. The abstract and Section 2.1 report lead (Pb) in 35 of 72 samples, with 19 samples exceeding 1 mg/L and the maximum Pb value 15.90 mg/L in a solid potassium-aluminium alum. The conclusion states Pb was quantified in 37 of 72 samples; this page records that source-internal count discrepancy and uses the shared maximum of 15.90 mg/L.

Cadmium was tested but not quantified above the LOQ in any sample. The ICP-OES LOQ table reports cadmium (Cd) LOQ 0.005 mg/L and Pb LOQ 0.011 mg/L.

Other source-reported maxima included Sb 3.700 mg/L in a roll-on antiperspirant sample with aluminium-zirconium compounds, chromium (Cr) 5.561 mg/L in a solid potassium-aluminium alum, Co 0.569 mg/L in a roll-on antiperspirant, Cu 45 mg/L in a universal sweat-blocker product, Mn 2.537 mg/L in a calcium/magnesium/zinc hydroxyapatite sample, nickel (Ni) 12.26 mg/L in a men’s roll-on antiperspirant, Zn 1854 mg/L in a hydroxyapatite/zinc PCA deodorant, Ag 218.4 mg/L in a stick antiperspirant, and Ca 5692 mg/L in a hydroxyapatite-containing deodorant.

The form-group summary table is labelled [mg/kg] and reports median values including Al 28,200 for roll-ons, 36,280 for mineral alum products, and 26,840 for sticks; Zr 0.687 for roll-ons, 1.060 for mineral alum products, and 21,420 for sticks; tin (Sn) 0.058 for roll-ons, <LOQ for mineral alum products, and 6.424 for sticks; Cr 0.135 for roll-ons, 1.230 for mineral alum products, and <LOQ for sticks; and Ni 0.229 for roll-ons, 0.123 for mineral alum products, and <LOQ for sticks. Because nearby text and the abstract frequently use mg/L, this group-summary table should be treated as source-labelled summary context until unit harmonisation is audited.

Methods (brief)

Samples were purchased from brick-and-mortar stores, beauty supply stores, and online retailers operating within the Polish market between 2022 and 2025. Approximately 0.15-0.20 g of product was mineralised with 69% HNO3 and 36.5-38.0% HCl in an UltraWave microwave-assisted closed-loop system, then diluted to 25 mL with an internal indium standard. Elemental analysis used a Thermo Scientific iCAP 7400 ICP-OES with three replicates per sample. LOQs ranged from 0.0010 mg/L for Ti to 0.99 mg/L for K, and CRM recoveries ranged from 88.6% to 114.7%. Selected samples were also dried and examined by SEM-EDS to confirm morphology and elemental composition.

Implications

Microbiome: Not applicable.

Related evidence

• Deodorants (sticks, roll-ons, gels, creams, wipes, sprays)
• Aluminum
• Lead
• Cadmium
• Antimony
• Chromium
• Nickel
• Tin
• Zinc
• Copper
• Iron
• Manganese

Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git.