1Division of Forensic Science, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, 203201, (U.P.), India
2Division of Chemistry, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, 203201, (U.P), India
3Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
*Corresponding Author Sneha Yadav E-mail: snehayadav@galgotiasuniversity.edu.in
Online published on 6 March, 2023.
Cosmetic products have become one of the major essentialities of our usual lives which are subsequently used by people of variable age groups. Some of the majorly used products include facial and body creams, lipsticks, nail paints, lip glosses, mascaras, etc. These products generally contain some heavy metals and chemicals as preservatives to ward off microbial expansion. However, these preservatives are proven to be most toxic for the cells where applications of these products are maximum such as epithelial cells of skin, corneal and conjunctival cells of eyes, etc. Though cosmetic products have various advantages, the dark side of these products indicates the total dependency of humans due to the methodical use of such products. Various researchers have estimated that some toxic heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr) are found in varying concentrations in different cosmetic products especially the products which are applied directly on the skin, such as eyeliner, lip moisturizer, lipstick, facial creams, etc. Sometimes the concentration of the above heavy metals exceeds the permissible limits set by WHO (World Health Organisation). Heavy metals are known to have beneficiary as well as toxic effects on humans, animals as well as environment. The presence of these heavy metals in cosmetics is widely harmful as they are absorbed via skin in heavy concentrations which causes mutations that further leads to various 100s of hazardous disease like mental retardation, skin cancer, respiratory disorders, etc. Therefore, various techniques are approached to assess the presence of these heavy metals in cosmetic products. Some of these are atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), etc. Thus, the present review article focused on the problems related to the presence of heavy metals in cosmetics, including their sources, concentrations, and law regulations as well as Toxic effects on human health.
Cosmetic products, Heavy metal toxicity Microwave digestion, Health hazards
