Plant extracts are very common in cosmetic products because they improve the formulation of the product. They have many active ingredients, with beneficial effects on external parts of the human body and oral mucosa. The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) extract, which belongs to the family of the largest flowering group, exhibits a diverse and complex chemical composition. The extract is used in cosmetic products because of its tonic, moisturizing and regenerating effect on the skin. It is important to evaluate the safety of every ingredient used in a cosmetic formulation and this applies for plant extracts as cosmetic ingredients as well. Many plants are toxic to humans and the composition of the extract itself can be very variable. In this thesis, we examined the qualitative and quantitative compositions of the radix and herb of the purple coneflower, which is in certain concentrations found in the cosmetic product under study. We evaluated its safety using the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) approach, which defines the toxicological potential of the chemical, based on the classification of the compounds into Cramer´s toxicity classes with TTC values of safe exposure to the chemical. Based on their physicochemical properties, structural formula, and concentration in the extract, the potential absorption and the systemic exposure were determined. We determined the maximal allowed concentration for compounds with an unknown concentration in the extract and calculated the daily safe exposure for certain selected constituents, which allowed us to compare the values obtained with the TTC approach. The potential for absorption of compounds was low for most of the compounds, as well as their systemic exposure using a cosmetic product as their concentration in the extract is very low in comparison to the calculated maximum concentration. Values of the systemic exposure were lower compared to the TTC values based on the classification into Cramer´s toxicity classes. The daily safety exposure of some chemicals was higher compared to the TTC values. Based on all calculations and comparisons of the examined cosmetic product, we assessed the extract of the radix and herb of the purple coneflower as a safe ingredient for usage in cosmetic products. The safety evaluation, of course, varies depending on the concentration and composition of the extract in a cosmetic product, the remaining formulation of the product, the site, the amount and frequency of application. The safety evaluation is also affected by the exposure time and skin condition of the user.
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