Do you want to analyze heavy metals in the raw materials of your cosmetic products?
Why analyze heavy metals in the raw materials of your cosmetic products?
First of all, heavy metals are not present as ingredients in cosmetic formulations but may appear as ’impurities, most often originating from raw materials or manufacturing processes.
In France, some heavy metals are prohibited; for others, the presence of very small amounts or trace levels may be tolerated provided there is no risk to health. Indeed, heavy metals are highly toxic to the human body.
Since raw materials are a possible source of heavy metals, it is therefore necessary to analyze them in order to optimize them so that they are not a source of unwanted heavy metals in your cosmetic products.
As a result, the support of a competent laboratory for heavy metal analysis in raw materials is essential as part of quality control or the placing on the market of your cosmetic products.
FILAB supports you in the analysis of heavy metals in the raw materials of your cosmetic products
Through our three levels of service: analysis, expertise, and R&D support, FILAB supports cosmetic companies in the analysis of heavy metals in the raw materials of their cosmetic products. To do this, FILAB provides its clients with the know-how and experience of its team, as well as a analytical facility of 2,100 m² equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.
Thus, FILAB is able to analyze all types of raw materials: mica, clay, metal oxides, etc.
Our specialist and Head of the Chemistry Department, Clément Boenard, answers your questions about heavy metal analysis in cosmetic products.
Heavy metals: regulations for the cosmetics industry
Whether prohibited or limited to protect consumer health, they must be identified and quantified in finished products or cosmetic raw materials. Limits and restrictions are generally linked to the product’s geographical market.
All the answers to your questions
Clément Boenard, Head of the Analysis Department at FILAB, presents our analytical services applicable to their identification in cosmetics.
🚩 COFRAC ISO 17025 accredited and equipped with a fleet of more than 10 ICP systems, the FILAB laboratory supports you with:
– Determination by ICP-MS/MS
– Validation of methods specific to your matrices
– Assessment of elemental impurities according to the ICH Q3D methodology
What does the regulations say?
Heavy metals are not present as ingredients in cosmetic formulations but may appear as ’impurities, most often originating from raw materials or manufacturing processes.
In France, the regulations surrounding the content of heavy metals in cosmetic products are not clearly defined. Some heavy metals are prohibited; for others, the presence of very small amounts or trace levels may be tolerated provided there is no risk to health (although this is not always proven…). In addition, the analytical methods used to verify heavy metal concentrations are not yet well harmonized, making it more difficult to establish precise limits.
How are heavy metals quantified in cosmetics?
The ISO/TR 17276:2014 standard presents the most common analytical approaches for identifying and quantifying heavy metals in finished cosmetic products or raw materials. At FILAB, heavy metal analysis in cosmetic products is divided into 2 steps:
- Sample preparation by leaching or by complete mineralization.
- Identification and quantification of the samples. Depending on the sample composition, the analytical techniques used will be as follows:
· X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
· Colorimetric test
· Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS)
· Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-AES or ICP-OES) or mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
ICP is an elemental analysis method whose principle is to excite atoms so that they return to their ground state. Specific radiation is then emitted, making it possible to quantify metallic traces in the range of 0.01 to 1 mg/kg. FILAB has around fifteen ICP systems (ICP-AES and ICP-MS) within its analytical facility.
For certain more volatile heavy metals, such as mercury, FILAB has more precise analytical techniques such as a dedicated mercury analyzer, which can dispense with the sampling step.
Our solutions: providing the right services for your products quickly
The FILAB laboratory puts its expertise and state-of-the-art analytical facility at your disposal (ICP-MS, ICP-AES, AAS, mercury analyzer / amalgamator) for the elemental analysis of heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, nickel, antimony, etc.) and the determination of heavy metals in all types of matter or material.
FILAB is able to analyze heavy metals present in all types of matrices: creams, lotions, gels, emulsions, etc.
