Quality control of vitamins A and E and coenzyme Q10 in commercial anti-ageing cosmetic products

Temova Rakuša, Žane (author), Roškar, Robert (author)

Vitamins A and E and coenzyme Q10 are common ingredients in anti-ageing cosmetic products. Within this study, we evaluated the quality of commercial cosmetics with vitamin A (35 products), vitamin E (49 products), and coenzyme Q10 (27 products) by using validated HPLC– UV methods. Vitamin A was determined as retinol, retinyl palmitate, retinyl propionate, β carotene, and hydroxypinacolone retinoate in concentrations ranging from 950 ng/g to 19 mg/g. Total vitamin A contents, expressed with retinol equivalents, ranged from 160 ng/g to 19 mg/g, and were above the maximum concentration recommended by the SCCS in six of the 35 tested cosmetics. The content-related quality control of 10 cosmetics with specified vitamin A content revealed significant deviations (between 0% and 400%) of the label claim. Vitamin E was determined as both tocopherol and tocopheryl acetate in concentrations between 8.5 µg/g and 16 mg/g. Coenzyme Q10 was determined as ubiquinone in 24 tested cosmetics, which labelled it, in concentrations between 4.2 µg/g and 100 µg/g. Labelling irregularities were observed in all three active compound groups, resulting in a significant share (42%) of improperly labelled cosmetic products. The results of this study reveal the need for stricter cosmetics regulation and highlight the importance of their quality control, especially by evaluating the contents of the active compounds, in their efficacy and safety assurance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: active compounds, assay, cosmeceutics, functional cosmetics, HPLC-UV, labelling, retinoids, tocopherol, ubiquinone, β carotene
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 3, art. 61
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135617
• UDC: 577.161.6:665.58
• ISSN on article: 2079-9284
• DOI: 10.3390/cosmetics8030061
• COBISS.SI-ID: 83392003
• Publication date in RUL: 22.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Cosmetics
• Shortened title: Cosmetics
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2079-9284
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523046937

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.09.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: aktivne spojine, testi, funkcionalna kozmetika, označevanje, tokoferol, retinoidi, vitamin A, vitamin E, beta karoten, kozmetični izdelki, ubikinon

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0189
• Name: Farmacevtska tehnologija: od dostavnih sistemov učinkovin do terapijskih izidov zdravil pri otrocih in starostnikih