Vitamin A is a common active ingredient in cosmetics for mature skin and skin with acne. In cosmetics, the most common representatives of vitamin A are beta carotene, retinol, retinal and retinyl esters with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Retinoic acid is the only biologically active representative of vitamin A, but it is banned in cosmetics products.
The purpose of this assignment was to determine the content of the most common vitamin A forms in cosmetic products using high-performance liquid chromatography. Therefore, 16 cosmetic products with at least one vitamin A form were selected and purchased locally. Considering the problem of under-control of cosmetic products, vitamin A forms listed on the packaging were compared to the experimentally found ones, in addition to detection of prohibited retinoic acid in cosmetic products. Furthermore, the content of found vitamin A forms was evaluated in the tested cosmetic products, along with their stability under different environmental factors.
Retinoic acid was not found in any of the tested cosmetic products. However, the individual vitamin A forms listed on the packaging did not match the experimentally identified ones on certain cosmetic products. Also, none of products with defined retinoid content was consistent with the experimentally found content. Examination of found retinoid content and the price of cosmetic products revealed that the price is only partly an indicator of vitamin A content and consequently the quality of the product.
The stability of the active components in cosmetic products was further verified by long-term, accelerated and stress testing. Selected products were exposed to higher temperature (40°C) for one month. The results revealed certain degradation of retinoids, and also beta carotene to a lesser extent in most of the tested products. Chemical instability of various vitamin A forms was also confirmed during long-term stability testing of the same products, stored at room temperature and in the dark for one month. Significant instability was also observed in cosmetic products that had been opened for three years and stored at room temperature. When products were exposed to ultraviolet light, retinyl palmitate, was found highly sensitive to radiation and retinol significantly less.
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