| Abstrakt: |
The cosmetic sector is one of the growing sectors worldwide. In Europe, substances used in cosmetic products are subject to the application of the REACH Regulation. This implies that, for each substance present in a cosmetic formula, a risk assessment for the environment and human health should be carried out. Especially for personal care and cosmetic products, there is evidence of their environmental risk and therefore, is deeply necessary to introduce eco-design and green chemistry strategies for their production and use. Primary microplastics, called microbeads (μBs), are found in personal care and cosmetic products (PCCP) being used as an ingredient capable of physical abrasion on a certain surface (mainly teeth and skin). Due to their durability, cost-effectiveness, and performance over time, μBs have replaced natural materials such as inorganic powders, naturally introduced fruit peels and seeds, sometimes crushed in cosmetic care products. The main problem related to the presence of μBs in the environment is their size (less than 0.8 mm, sometimes even less than 0.1 mm); thus, they can be ingested by many organisms, being transmitted in the food chain. The development of a method for isolating the microplastics from the matrix of branded PCCP samples (i.e., shower gel, body spray, and micellar water) using ultrasound technique at constant temperature and pressure, high-performance vacuum filtration method with various highpurity filtration membranes (e.g., cellulose) was the first objective of this study. The second objective was to combine the vibrational spectroscopy techniques (Raman and Fourier-transform infrared μ-spectroscopy) with optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy - energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), to investigate the morphology and chemical composition of μBs. Microplastics were identified in all nine brands of analyzed products, thus 92 μBs in shower gel, 147 μBs in micellar water and 68 μBs in body sprays; the identified colors were black (mostly), blue, yellow, brown, green and red. The observed sizes varied from tens of micrometers to a few centimeters in some cases and the thickness reached 10 μm. From visual (microscopy) and chemical (μ-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy) point of view the structure was mostly like polypropylene fibers, smaller and having glossy mate appearance. Considering the fact that a series of plastics added to cosmetic products as abrasives (e.g., ethylene/propylene copolymer, polylactic acid, hydrogenated poly(olefin C6-20), polyethylene, copolymer 1,4-butanediol/succinic acid/adipic acid/HDI (hexamethylene diisocyanate polymer), ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate copolymer/laurethyl-7 methacrylate) must be eliminated by 2030 according to EU recommendations (CosIng, CIR-Cosmetic Ingredient Review), it is imperative to carefully monitor the chemical composition of all cosmetic products, especially in terms of microplastics chemical composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
