Assessment of Microbial Contamination, Heavy Metals and Associated Health Risks in Skincare Products from Different Market Sources

The increased use of skincare products has raised growing global concerns as regards exposure to heavy metal contaminants andmicrobes. The aim of this research study was to assess microbial contamination, heavy metals and associated health risks in skincareproducts from different market sources. A total of forty skincare products were randomly sourced and analyzed. Microbial contamination was assessed using standard microbiological methods. Heavy metal contaminations were analyzed for manganese, lead, nickel, copper, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt and zinc using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Human health risk assessment for skin exposure was conducted using hazard index, carcinogenic risk models and hazard quotients. The result from this study showed variations in microbial counts as regards organism, product type, and source: online products showed high total bacterial counts and the highest reported Salmonella and Shigella counts, supermarket oil had the highest total fungal count, and open-market products showed high coliform and E. coli counts in selected products. All sources contained measurable concentrations of the assessed metals. Powders had comparatively high concentrations of several metals, including copper (6.09 mg/kg) in online products, lead (1.55 mg/kg) in open-market products, and chromium (3.22 mg/kg) in supermarket products; however, the highest concentrations were not consistently observed in powders for every metal. Estimated non-carcinogenic risk indices were generally below 1, with hazard index values ranging up to 0.06. Total carcinogenic risk estimates ranged from 2.99 × 10⁻⁶ to 7.30 × 10⁻⁵, within the stated screening range of 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁴. These findings indicate source- and product-specific differences in microbial and metal contamination and support continued quality monitoring of skincare products.