Abstract:

Preservatives in cosmetics play an important role in inhibiting the growth of microbial and maintaining the product quality. With the influence of domestic and foreign residents' consumption level upgrading and the rapid development of Internet and other factors, the market demand of domestic cosmetics is growing steadily. However, the improper use of preservatives could be harmful to human health and cause negative effects on environment and ecological security. With the frequent occurrence of cosmetic safety incidents, the safety awareness of consumers has been improved and the industry regulations has been strengthened. Nowadays, the addition of preservatives has received much attention, which sets a higher request to the market regulations of cosmetics preservatives. The species of the cosmetic preservatives used at home and abroad have significantly increased. Accordingly, the analytical methods for single preservatives are difficult to meet new regulatory requirements. With the rapid upgrade of modern instrumental analysis technology, high-throughput, efficient, high-sensitivity and low-cost detection methods are essential to push the development of the industry. In this review, the current status of cosmetic preservatives is outlined and the up to date applications of conventional instruments for their detections have been summarized. Some novel detection methods are introduced, such as high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. The market development of cosmetic preservatives and detection technology on them are analyzed and prospected, which would shed light on the high-throughput rapid detection of cosmetic preservatives in the future.

Key words: cosmetics, preservatives, application, detection technology