Determination of heavy metals in lipstick products using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Faas) / Nurul Amila Ariff

This study was conducted to determine the amounts of heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel) in lipstick of different brands including unbranded lipstick using AAS. These lipstick products were manufactured from different countries. The lipstick samples used were sample A (Malaysia), sample B (China), sample C (Italy), and sample D (unbranded). Wet digestion method was used to extract the heavy metals from the samples. This analysis was carried out using standard calibration method. The measurements of emission signals of cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel were taken at wavelengths of 228.80, 357.87, 283.31, and 232.00 nm respectively. Based on the results, the amounts and standard deviations of cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel in sample A (Malaysia) are 48.6±4.1, 21.0±5.0, not detected and 8.2±0.6; sample B (China) are 68.2±4.1, 32.9±4.0, not detected and 10.7±1.1; sample C (Italy) are 66.4±4.1, 37.0±3.2, not detected and 9.1±0.0; and sample D (unbranded) are 68.2±4.1, 89.0±8.0, 286.0±25.1 and 10.1±0.0 pig/g respectively. The contents of cadmium, chromium and nickel in branded lipstick samples exceed the permissible limits that are considered safe to health which are 3.0, 5.0 and 5.0 ^ig/g respectively. Lead contents in all branded samples are under the permissible limit, 10.0 /xg/g. Sample D which is an unbranded lipstick product bought from a night market in Malaysia showed contents of all heavy metals passing over the permissible limits set by World Health Organisation (WHO) and recommendation from Basketter et al, (2003).