Transition metals in elemental form, as salts and coordination complexes are common
ingredients in cosmetic products. In diploma thesis we wanted to examine their variety on
the market and diversity of their functions in cosmetics.
The analysed products were divided into 11 groups according to the purpose of their use.
The largest number of products, 18, are classified as anti-age cosmetics, 15 as skin-care
products, 12 are shampoos for body and hair cleansing, 10 sunscreens, 8 deodorants and
antiperspirants, 8 for particular skin needs and problems, 4 are used for oral care, 2 are
cosmetics for kids and 2 products for hair styling. 21 of the products are categorized as
makeup cosmetics. This group is divided into two subgroups: powders (11 products) and
other makeup cosmetics (10 products). We discovered that out of 38 transition metals 17 are
allowed to be used in cosmetic products. Among them are: titanium, vanadium, chromium,
manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, silver, tantalum,
tungsten, platinum, gold and mercury. In cosmetics that we used in our survey we found the
largest number of different compounds with zinc (12), followed by iron (11), copper (10),
manganese (4) and silver (4). With zirconium we found 3 different ingredients and with
chromium 2. We found one substance with gold and one with platinum. We also found 3
components with titanium and 1 that combined titanium and cobalt at the same time. We
have not found ingredients with vanadium, yttrium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten and
mercury. All together we discovered 257 compounds that contained transition metals. By far
the most (83) of them consisted of iron, 58 of them contained titanium and 49 zinc. Copper
was found 19 times, gold 13 times, in 9 products we found manganese, in 8 silver and in 6
chromium. Zirconium and platinum were found in 5 cosmetics each. In 2 products we found
an ingredient with two transition metals at the same time: titanium and cobalt. Among all
the ingredients that we found in cosmetics we chose three that are very common and meet
some limitations: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and zinc pyrithione. We checked their
toxicological characteristics and prepared their toxicological profile.
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