Arsenic and Mercury Content Determination in Commercial Cosmetics Products by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Abstract

Toxic elements are present everywhere in nature and even in raw materials and pigments used in the manufacture of cosmetics. Human bodies daily exposed to toxic elements that can be found in trace amounts in cosmetic products. These elements such as arsenic and mercury can cause local skin damage or possible, their absorption through the skin or swallowed. In this paper we determined the content of arsenic and mercury in ten lipstick samples and eight nail polishes samples by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Acid digestion with 0,1 M HCl or HNO3-HCl was performed. A very low concentration of Hg and As have been found in all samples in both extracts (ranged, 0.0001-0.0004 µg/g and 0.02 – 0.04 µg/g respectively).