Elemental burdens of cosmetics and associated health and environmental impacts: A global view
1 Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
2 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 20(02), 076–096
Publication history:
Received on 16 September 2023; revised on 24 October 2023; accepted on 26 October 2023
Abstract:
The use of diverse chemicals in beauty, skin, hair, and nail care products may be traced back to ancient times. Preservatives, stabilizers, mineral pigments, colour, and shine were added to these goods to improve their quality and increase their effects. This review which covers 28 countries, highlights the heavy metal content of some cosmetics, and their associated health and environmental implications, and the use of multivariate statistics to understand the dynamics and interrelationship between the elements. From the study, cosmetic products pose debilitating impacts on human health because some products contain potentially toxic elements including Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Fe, Sb, Cr, Co, Hg, and Ni beyond allowable levels. However, the concentrations of these elements in cosmetics are country, product, and manufacturer variants. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlation matrix revealed possible interrelationships between different elements in cosmetic products, which have harmful implications. This suggests potential harmful interactions and the need for strict safety measures in their formulation and usage. Indiscriminate disposal of these products containing toxic heavy metals may pose detrimental impacts on the environment and various ecological systems. It is recommended that manufacturers of cosmetics invest in non-toxic materials that pose no or fewer impacts on the environment and consumer health.
Keywords:
Cosmetics; Heavy metals; Health and Environmental impacts; Multivariate analysis; Revie
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Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0