Health risk assessment of trace elements in plant-based cosmetics and personal care products using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
- 1Department of Chemistry, Mount Royal University 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW Calgary AB T3E 6K6 Canada [email protected].
Abstract
The increasing demand for plant-based cosmetics and personal care products (CPCPs) has raised concerns regarding trace element contamination stemming from agricultural practices and industrial pollution. In this study, 39 plant-based CPCPs, including deodorants, sunscreens, face creams, lip moisturizers, body lotions, and insect repellents, were analyzed to determine the concentration of 14 trace elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Hg, and Pb) using microwave-assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The method demonstrated excellent linearity (R ² = 0.9996-0.9999) and low detection limits (0.002-1.00 ng g⁻¹). Al and Zn exhibited the highest concentrations in deodorants (up to 37 000 mg kg⁻¹) and sunscreens (up to 280 000 mg kg⁻¹), respectively. Mercury was detected at 28 ± 6 mg kg⁻¹ in a hemp-based face cream, exceeding regulatory limits by nearly tenfold. Health risk assessment based on systemic exposure dosage (SED) and hazard quotient (HQ) indicated potential adverse health risks associated with Cd in deodorants (2.25 × 10²), Zn in sunscreens (9.99 × 10⁶), Hg in face creams (7.56 × 10²), V in body lotions (4.78 × 10⁻¹⁰), and Cr in insect repellents (7.62 × 10⁰). High HI values were also observed and found to be greater than the safety threshold of 1 in deodorants (3.26 × 10²), sunscreens (1.44 × 10⁷), face creams (8.69 × 10²), body lotions (5.31 × 10⁻¹⁰), and insect repellents (1.38 × 10¹) which suggests a potential elevated concern for non-cancer health effects over exposure lifetime, warranting further refined risk assessments and monitoring.
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BibTeX
@article{gezahegn2026health,
title = {{Health risk assessment of trace elements in plant-based cosmetics and personal care products using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).}},
author = {Birhan Z Gezahegn and Nausheen W Sadiq},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra02940j},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910019},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Health risk assessment of trace elements in plant-based cosmetics and personal care products using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
AU - Birhan Z Gezahegn
AU - Nausheen W Sadiq
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra02940j
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910019
AB - The increasing demand for plant-based cosmetics and personal care products (CPCPs) has raised concerns regarding trace element contamination stemming from agricultural practices and industrial pollution. In this study, 39 plant-based CPCPs, including deodorants, sunscreens, face creams, lip moisturizers, body lotions, and insect repellents, were analyzed to determine the concentration of 14 trace elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Hg, and Pb) using microwave-assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The method demonstrated excellent linearity (R ² = 0.9996-0.9999) and low detection limits (0.002-1.00 ng g⁻¹). Al and Zn exhibited the highest concentrations in deodorants (up to 37 000 mg kg⁻¹) and sunscreens (up to 280 000 mg kg⁻¹), respectively. Mercury was detected at 28 ± 6 mg kg⁻¹ in a hemp-based face cream, exceeding regulatory limits by nearly tenfold. Health risk assessment based on systemic exposure dosage (SED) and hazard quotient (HQ) indicated potential adverse health risks associated with Cd in deodorants (2.25 × 10²), Zn in sunscreens (9.99 × 10⁶), Hg in face creams (7.56 × 10²), V in body lotions (4.78 × 10⁻¹⁰), and Cr in insect repellents (7.62 × 10⁰). High HI values were also observed and found to be greater than the safety threshold of 1 in deodorants (3.26 × 10²), sunscreens (1.44 × 10⁷), face creams (8.69 × 10²), body lotions (5.31 × 10⁻¹⁰), and insect repellents (1.38 × 10¹) which suggests a potential elevated concern for non-cancer health effects over exposure lifetime, warranting further refined risk assessments and monitoring.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -