Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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NICKEL AND CHROMIUM IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS: FROM LABORATORY TO REGULATION AND POSSIBLE HEALTH RISKS

INES ADAM-DIMA 1, ANDREEA ALEXANDRA OLTEANU 1*, GEORGIANA NIȚULESCU 1, SÎNZIANA CRISTEA 2, CLAUDIA-MARIA GUȚU 1, CARMEN PURDEL 1

1 “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, District 2, Bucharest, Romania
2 Certara Inc., Radnor Corporate Centre, Suite 350, Radnor, PA 19087, USA

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The cosmetic industry is a rapidly growing global market that has raised concerns about the safety of its products, particularly regarding the presence of heavy metals such as nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr). These metals pose potential health risks, including local and systemic toxicity. This study assesses the levels of Ni and Cr in 25 cosmetic products across six categories: oils, blushes, eyeshadows, lipsticks, eyeliners and eye/brow pencils using wet digestion followed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The results revealed that Ni and Cr concentrations varied significantly among products, with the highest levels detected in liquid lipsticks. Additionally, the study compares the Ni and Cr concentrations in the tested cosmetic products with existing regulatory limits and other published data and addresses possible health risks associated with using these products.