Content and stability of B complex vitamins in commercial cosmetic products

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

Background: Individual B vitamins have many favorable effects on the skin and are common cosmetic ingredients. However, their formulation is demanding due to stability issues, which consequently affect the products’ quality. Aims: We aimed to determine the quality (labeling accuracy, content determination, and content-related quality control) and stability under long-term and accelerated storage conditions of a representative sample of commercial cosmetics containing the most common B vitamins – nicotinamide, dexpanthenol, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin. Methods: Cyanocobalamin was determined by a previously published stability-indicating HPLC–diode array detector (DAD) method for the simultaneous determination of all hydrophilic vitamins. This method was additionally simplified and adjusted for the time-effective analysis of nicotinamide, dexpanthenol, and pyridoxine. Both methods were properly validated. Results: All labeled B vitamins were present in the 36 tested products, mostly in contents, reported effective on the skin. Thus, a straightforward correlation between vitamin contents and product prices were not observed. The content-related quality control of eight products, which quantitively specify their content, revealed significantly lower nicotinamide contents (47% and 57%) in two products and appropriate or higher nicotinamide (102%–112%) and dexpanthenol (100%–104%) contents than declared in the remaining products. The 6-month long-term and accelerated stability studies demonstrated the products’ physical stability, but also revealed dexpanthenol, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin degradation, while nicotinamide was mostly stable in the tested products. Conclusions: The obtained results provide an inside into the quality of commercial vitamin B cosmetics and highlight the importance of stability testing in the formulation of quality, efficient, and safe cosmetics.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cosmeceuticals, cosmetic formulation, D-panthenol, niacinamide, nicotinamide, stability, vitamin B3
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 628-636
• Numbering: Vol. 22, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-144304
• UDC: 665.58
• ISSN on article: 1473-2165
• DOI: 10.1111/jocd.15321
• COBISS.SI-ID: 121266691
• Publication date in RUL: 13.02.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of cosmetic dermatology
• Shortened title: J. cosmet. derm.
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1473-2165
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517755929

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kozmetična formulacija, D-pantenol, niacinamid, nikotinamid, stabilnost, vitamin B3, kozmetika

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