Rastogi Cartridge

[Timothee Cazares]

Cosmeticpreparations containing polyethoxylated surfactants can be contaminated by 1,4-dioxane. This substance has been shown to be carcinogenic to rats and mice and has been considered as a possible carcinogen in humans. According to the EEC directive on cosmetic products, 1,4-dioxane must not be present in their formulation. Published methods for the assay of this substance in cosmetics are based on gas chromatography (GC) or head-space GC. These techniques have distinct disadvantages including complex and time-consuming sample pre-treatment, extensive calibrations, poor accuracy and precision. Improved recovery and reproducibility have been attained by a recently developed HPLC method; however this technique exhibits a low sensitivity. This study describes a new solid-phase extraction procedure for the determination of 1,4-dioxane in cosmetic preparations. After purification by Bakerbond C18 and CN cartridges, samples were directly analysed by HPLC and GC-MS. The proposed method is rapid, reproducible and suitable for routine quality control analyses. The application of the procedure to the assay of 1,4-dioxane in a wide range of commercially available surfactants and cosmetic products is also reported.

3a8082e126