Abstract:

This study developed a high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） method that leverages a functionalized melamine sponge as a sample pre-treatment material for the quantitative determination of paraben preservatives （PBs） in cosmetics. Utilizing the adhesive properties of polyvinylidene fluoride, the metal-organic framework material, MIL-68（Al）, was effectively combined with melamine sponge （MeS） to create an efficient adsorbent, MIL-68（Al）/MeS. This novel material was used as a solid-phase extraction medium to isolate and quantify four types of PBs from various cosmetic samples. The method demonstrates excellent analytical performance, characterized by detection limits ranging from 0.24 to 0.43 ng/mL and a broad linear range of 5.00 to 200.00 ng/mL. The developed method exhibits robust intra-day and inter-day precision with recovery rates between 91.8%-98.4% and 101.4%-107.9%, respectively, and maintained a relative standard deviation （RSD） below 11.6%. Notably, this analytical procedure eliminates the need for centrifugation and filtration steps, significantly simplifying the sample preparation process while ensuring high recovery rates. The MIL-68（Al）/MeS composite is not only effective in adsorbing the target analytes but also enhances the efficiency of the extraction process. By reducing the complexity and time required for sample preparation, this method offers a practical and effective approach to ensuring product safety and compliance with regulatory standards. It also holds potential as an educational tool in analytical chemistry, providing a hands-on experience for undergraduate students through innovative experiments.

Key words: parabens, cosmetics, functionalized melamine sponge, sample pre-treatment, HPLC