Triacylglycerol "hand-shape profile" of Argan oil. Rapid and simple UHPLC-PDA-ESI-TOF/MS and HPTLC methods to detect counterfeit Argan oil and Argan-oil-based products.

The marketing of new argan-based products is greatly increased in the last few years and consequently, it has enhanced the number of control analysis aimed at detecting counterfeit products claiming argan oil as a major ingredient. Argan oil is produced in Morocco and it is quite expensive. Two simple methods for the rapid screening of pure oil and argan-oil based products, focused on the analysis of the triacylglycerol profile, have been developed. A three-minute-run by UHPLC-PDA allows the identification of a pure argan oil, while the same run with the MS detector allows also the analysis of products containing the oil down to 0.03%. On the other hand, by HPTLC the simultaneous analysis of twenty samples, containing argan oil down to 0.5%, can be carried out in a forty-five-minute run. The triglyceride profile of the most common vegetable fats such as almond, coconut, linseed, wheat germ, sunflower, peanut, olive, soybean, rapeseed, hemp oils as well as shea butter used either in cosmetics or commonly added for the counterfeiting of argan oil, has been also investigated. Over sixty products with different formulations and use have been successfully analyzed and argan oil in the 2.4-0.06% concentration range has been quantified. The methods are suitable either for a rapid screening or for quantifying argan oil in different formulations.

Screening of preservatives by HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS: A focus on both allowed and recently forbidden compounds in the new EU cosmetics regulation.

Commission regulation (EU) No 358/2014 amending the new regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetics has prohibited the use of isopropyl-, isobutyl-, phenyl-, benzyl- and pentylparaben. Furthermore, Commission regulation (EU) No 1004/2014 has lowered the maximum permitted concentration of butyl- and propylparaben in cosmetics and it has also banned them in leave-on products designed for application on the nappy area of children under three years of age. A HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS method has been developed herein for the detection of seventeen preservatives, both the most utilised and the recently forbidden by the new EU regulations. The separation of these compounds, including benzoic acid and its derivatives in a 1.10 - 3.04 log Pow range, has been performed with a gradient elution on a Symmetry(®) C18 column (250×4.6mm i.d., particle size 5µm) with water and acetonitrile (0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase. Quantification has been carried out by HPLC-PDA. The method has been validated and successfully applied to the analysis of a large number of cosmetics with different functions like rinse-off and leave-on, or composition like skin, hair, face and oral products.

Development of an HPLC method for the identification and dosage of non-allowed substances in cosmetic products. Part I: local anaesthetics and antihistaminics.

An HPLC method with ultraviolet detection coupled with a solid-phase extraction sample clean up was developed for the analysis of five local anaesthetics and four antihistaminics in cosmetic products. The presence of these compounds in commercial cosmetic samples is fordbidden. Extracts from real samples were applied to a solid-phase extraction C18 cartridge, and the analytes were eluted with 8:2 (v/v) acetonitrile/water containing 1% trifluoroacetic acid. HPLC separation was then performed for the identification and determination of the analytes using a Purospher RP-18 column, two gradient eluting systems and a photodiode-array detector. The accuracy of the method was verified by spiking experiments on home-made cosmetic samples. The analytical recoveries were satisfactory.

HPLC determination of imidazole antimycotis in antidandruff cosmetic products.

A simple HPLC method for the determination of imidazole antimycotics in cosmetic antidandruff formulations has been developed. HPLC was carried out on a Discovery RP-Amide C16 column and spectrophotometric detection was performed at 220 nm. The initial mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and aqueous 10(-3) M NaClO4 (pH 3.0) in the ratio of 15:85 (v/v); then a linear gradient up to 46% acetonitrile in 70 min, and up to 50% in 80 min. The extraction procedure has been validated by analyzing samples of shampoo and lotion spiked with 1% of the active principles. The recoveries were greater than 95% and the reproducibility was within 3%.