Abstract
This study focused on determining the concentrations of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in four types of coloured cosmetic products (lipstick, blusher, eyeshadow, and hair dye) available at local markets in Saudi Arabia. Forty-eight cosmetic samples were analysed via inductively coupled plasma‒optical emission spectrometry (ICP‒OES) to measure the contents of Pb and Cd.Quality control of the data was achieved by the analysis of Hay Powder, an IAEA-V-10 standard reference material from IAEA. The concentrations of Pb in the lipstick, blusher, eyeshadow, and hair dye samples ranged from 0.052–2.823, 0.204–1.097, 1.100-2.519 and 0.142–0.187 ppm, respectively, while the concentrations of Cd ranged from 0.001–0.071, 0.003–0.019, 0.022 − 0.0061 and 0.000-0.001 ppm, respectively. The effect of color on concentration was also investigated. The results of this study were compared with those of previous studies. According to the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), the concentrations of Pb and Cd in all samples that were examined were within permissible limits. The results derived from the utilization of hazard quotient (HQ) indices show that Pb had the highest HQ, while Cd had the lowest HQ in all cosmetics studied. In addition, the hazard indices (HIs) for lipstick, blusher, eyeshadow, and hair days ranged from 0.02–1.179, 0.08–0.457, 0.459–1.375, and 0.059–0.077, respectively.