J. Cosmet. Sci., 57, 127-137 (March/April 2006) Analysis of consumer cosmetic products for phthalate esters JEAN C. HUBIN GER and DONALD C. HA VERY, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Pa int Branch Parkway, C allege Park, MD 20740. Accepted for publication November 17, 2005. Synopsis A rapid and sensitive reverse-phase HPLC method with UV detection was developed for the quantitation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in cosmetic preparations. Average recoveries of the phthalate esters were better than 90%. In a survey of 48 consumer cosmetic products, including hair care products, deodorants, lotions and creams, nail products, fragrances, and body washes, most products were found to contain at least one phthalate ester. DEP was detected most frequently at concentrations up to 38,663 ppm. DBP was found in fewer products, but at levels up to 59,815 ppm. Based on the available exposure and toxicity data, the FDA has concluded that there is insufficient data to conclude that a human health hazard exists from exposure to phthalate esters from cosmetic products. INTRODUCTION Phthalate esters are present in many consumer products, primarily to impart flexibility to rigid polymers such as polyvinyl chloride. They are used in the production of products such as food wrappings, medical devices (e.g., blood bags), children's toys, wood finishes, paints, upholstery, and plastic products, and are subject to a variety of regulatory requirements. As a result of their extensive use, phthalate esters have been found in the environment (1-6), foods (7-9), food supplements (10), medical products (11,12), medical devices (13), plastic materials (14), and cosmetics (15). In cosmetic products, phthalate esters are used as solvents for fragrances, as suspension agents for solids in aerosols, as lubricants for aerosol valves, and as antifoaming agents, skin emollients, and plasticizers in nail polishes and fingernail elongators. Investigations into the levels of phthalate ester metabolites in human urine have shown that exposure to DEP, BBP, DBP, and DEHP from all sources is highly variable from person to person and between different demographic groups (16-19). In one study, women of child-bearing age (20-40 years) were found to have significantly higher levels of monobutyl phthalate, the metabolite of DBP, in their urine than other age/gender groups (16). Several phthalate metabolites have also been found in human breast milk 127

128 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE (20). Estimates of daily human exposure to DEP, based on ester metabolite concentra- tions in urine, range from undetectable to 320 mg/kg/day (21). Phthalate esters, are of potential concern because of reproductive and other toxic effects reported for phthalate esters in animal models. Tests with rats have shown that some phthalate esters can damage the male reproductive system of offspring and cause other developmental abnormalities (22-36). The relevance of human exposure to phthalate esters is difficult to assess because the effects observed in animals resulted from exposure to relatively high doses (on the order of 100 to 1000 mg/kg/day), and more importantly, rats may metabolize phthalate esters differently than humans (3 7 ,38). While one study using a comet assay suggested that the urinary metabolite of DEP at levels currently found in the environment might cause human sperm DNA damage (39), another study showed primates were less sensitive to phthalate exposure than rodents (40). Further, because of their ubiquitous use, it is difficult to pinpoint any specific source of phthalate ester uses as being potentially responsible for any observed effects. In July 2002, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a coalition of environmental and public health organizations, reported on the analysis of 72 cosmetic products for the phthalate esters DMP, DEP, BBP, DBP, and DEHP (15). According to the report, phthalate esters were found in 52 of the 72 products tested, at levels ranging from less than 50 parts per million to nearly three percent. Also, according to the report, none of the 52 products listed the phthalate esters as ingredients on the product labels. Based on the safety concerns raised by the EWG and other published data, the FDA initiated a project to determine consumer exposure to phthalate esters from cosmetic products (41). The present study was undertaken to develop and validate an analytical method for phthalate esters in cosmetic products, to verify the levels reported in cosmetics by the EWG, and to collect additional data on phthalate ester levels in other types of cosmetic products. A large variety of analytical methods have been published for the analysis of consumer products, biological materials, and environmental samples for phthalate esters. Methods based on gas chromatography with either flame ionization or electron capture detection have been described for food simulants (42), water (43), plasma (44) and edible oils (45). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection has been applied to water (46), IV drug solutions (47), blood plasma (48), and water (49). More recently reported methods have utilized mass spectrometry for the detection of phthalate esters. Methods applying gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer have been de- scribed for the analysis of water (50-53), saliva (54), and plastic and PVC materials (55,56). HPLC and mass spectrometry have been used for the analysis of urine (57-59), human milk (20), and IV drug solutions (60). Very little has been published on ana- lytical methods for the determination of phthalate esters in cosmetic products. Two older methods, based on simple gas chromatography, have been described for cosmetic prod- ucts ( 61,62), but little data has been provided. The present study describes a method for the determination of phthalate esters in a variety of different cosmetic products. The method utilized a Celite column extraction method originally developed in our labora- tory for the analysis of phenol, resorcinol, salicylic acid, and a-hydroxy acids in cosmetic products and salon preparations (63). The method was validated for the determination of phthalate esters in several different types of cosmetic products.