Toxic Sunscreen Testing
Chemists use spectroscopic technique to shed light on the toxic metals in sunscreens and cosmetic products
Titanium dioxide is a bright white pigment that is commonly used as an ultraviolet filter in sunscreens because it scatters and reflects ultraviolet light away from the skin surface. Although titanium's use in sunscreens is regulated, some formulations also include other heavy metals, which are not regulated.
To address this, a team led by George Zachariadis of the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, at Aristotle University, in Thessaloniki, Greece, has turned to inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).1 This technique, which compares well with more conventional atomic absorption spectroscopy for multi-element analysis, could lead to a standard test for regulatory control.
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