Determination of phthalic acid esters in cosmetics and general female population exposure assessment

ObjectiveTo detect concentrations of three types of phthalic acid esters(PAEs)in cosmetics and to assess daily exposure to PAEs in general female population with a survey on cosmetics use-patterns.MethodsThree types of PAEs in 55 cosmetic samples,which were collected from a cosmetics chain stores and a large supermarket in Shanghai including skin care products,perfumes,hair products and nail polish,were detected with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS).Use-patterns of cosmetics in general female population from a metropolis were surveyed with a questionnaire.ResultsDetection rates of diethyl-o-phthalate(DEP),di-n-butyl phthalate(DBP)and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate(DEHP)were 40%,83.6% and 87.8% and the average concentrations were 3.775 μg/mL,0.043 μg/mL and 0.059 μg/mL,respectively.Combined with the results of the survey on use-patterns,the daily exposure to the three kinds of PAEs were 0.815 μg/d(DEP),3.117 μg/d(DBP)and 1.049 μg/d(DEHP)through the use of cosmetics.ConclusionThe detection rates of three types PAEs in cosmetics are high but the concentrations of the PAEs are low.The general female population's daily exposure to three types PAEs through cosmetics is very low,and much lower than current exposure limits.