A critical review and analysis of diethyl phthalate in body lotions and the resulting impacts on humans and the environment

Taj G Kunz

As the world evolves, new cosmetics and personal care products are being invented and improved to supply to the demand. With new trends appearing, new products are developed however there can be a lot of competition. The pressure of competition may cause companies to manufacture products using ingredients or additives which may be illegal or harmful/toxic. Accessibility of compounds may also contribute to substituting with inappropriate ingredients. This literature review analyses the available information and any statistics retrieved from reliable sources, focusing on harmful/toxic ingredients that are either prohibited or restricted yet still found in personal care and cosmetics products. It specifically focuses on compounds that have been added to the formulation but not disclosed as an ingredient to the consumer hence potentially being of danger to the health of the consumer. Additionally, restricted compounds that have been deemed as appropriate for use in cosmetics and personal care products at specific concentrations but have been added to such products in excess to these limits were also discussed. The governing bodies and legislative procedures used globally and as well as individually in Australia, Europe, The United States and Asia were researched and compared to find any disconnect which could lead to issues with non-regulated imported products. It has been determined that there are many ingredients which have been documented as being added to cosmetics and personal care products in current times that are either prohibited or restricted. The harmful effects of these ingredients have been found to cause a large variety of health problems and detriments to humans. Additionally, there have been multiple dangers to the environment through bioactivity, bioaccumulation and forms of pollution including via the terrestrial, atmospheric and aquatic environments. It has also been concluded that governing bodies around the world do share some similarities regarding personal care products and cosmetics, however they have a lot of discrepancies among definitions and the extent of regulations. The presence of the harmful ingredient diethyl phthalate, a class of plasticizer, in moisturising body lotions will be evaluated within the experimental portion of this research using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results inclusive of qualitative data will be reviewed and interpreted in the context of this literature review.

A critical review and analysis of diethyl phthalate in body lotions and the resulting impacts on humans and the environment

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