Quantitation of Methyl and Propyl Parabens in Cosmetics Product by HPLC

Paraben are antimicrobial agents commonly used as preservative and flavoring agent.The high concentration of parabens causes cancer, genotoxicity and breast cancer.This experiment aimed to determine the concentration of methyl and propyl paraben in cosmetic products.Parabens, are permitted in cosmetics at acceptable concentrations of 0.8% (w/w) per total paraben and 0.4% (w/w) per individual paraben, according to the European Community (EEC) directive.Seven different types of daily-use cosmetics were analyzed using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Methyl and propyl paraben, were extracted using sonication and methanol as the solvent.The separation was carried out using C18 (15 cm x 4.6 mm), composed of silane octadecyl bonded to porous (5 m) silica and gradient elution employing potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate as the mobile phase.A UV-detector was used, and quantification was performed at 272nm using Max plot.All the tested samples were found to contain between 0.01% and 0.18% methylparaben and between 0.001% and 0.12% propyl paraben, which are below the threshold limits set by European regulations.Thus, all analyzed samples complied with the safety standards for paraben content in cosmetics and safe for use.