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J. Cosmet. Sci., 69, 429–445 (November/December 2018) 429 Cosmetic Use in Nigeria May Be Safe: A Human Health Risk Assessment of Metals and Metalloids in Some Common Brands GODWIN CHUKWUEBUKA AJAEZI, CECILIA NWADIUTO AMADI, OSAZUWA CLINTON EKHATOR, SORBARI IGBIRI, and ORISH EBERE ORISAKWE, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria (G.C.A.), Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria (C.N.A., O.C.E., S.I., O.E.O.) Accepted for publication October 21, 2018. Synopsis Twenty different brands of cosmetic products were purchased from supermarkets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, with the aims to determine the levels of metals and assess the health risk to humans through long-term usage. The concentration of metals (arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and nickel) in the cosmetic samples was measured with atomic absorption spectrophotometry after acid digestion. The concentration of metals in these brands of cosmetic studied ranged from As: 0.001–0.0161 mg/kg, Pb: 0.289–2.873 mg/kg, Hg: 0.001–0.0014 mg/kg, Cd: 0.001–0.334 mg/kg, and Ni: 0.007–2.748 mg/kg. The metal and metalloid contents were less than the regulatory limits set for both metal impurities and as color additives. The target hazard quotient, hazard index, and cancer risk were less than the acceptable limit, indicating a measure of safety. Cosmetics sold in Nigeria may not add to the body burden of metals and metalloids. INTRODUCTION The pursuit for beauty has led to the rapid increase in utilization of cosmetics by millions of people (both men and women) all over the world (1). Cosmetic is a cocktail of chemi- cals that is intentionally applied to the skin surface for the purpose of promoting attrac- tiveness or beautifi cation. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury can be deliberately used as active ingredients in the formulations of cosmetics or may exist as impurities in cosmetics products because of their persistence and ubiquitous nature (2). The natural occurrence of these metals in rock, soil, and water can cause them to be pres- ent in the manufacturing of pigments and other raw materials used in cosmetics indus- tries (3). Although a limited number of ingredients such as lead acetate in hair dyes are Address all correspondence to Orish Ebere Orisakwe at orishebere@gmail.com.