Metal contamination of lip care products can cause potential adverse effects for consumers, hence assessment of human health risks associated with the consumption of these products is inevitable to ensure the consumers' safety. In the presented study, the profiles of 18 elements in 37 of the most popular lip cosmetic products, of various types and brands, sold in the Saudi Arabian markets, were investigated and their associated potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks were assessed. The metal concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry preceded by microwave digestion for sample preparation. In general, the concentrations of the investigated metals were lower than the safe permissible limits with the exception of Cd, Pb and Hg. The results found that Cd was regarded as the primary metal contaminant present in the analyzed lip products contributing to 66.3% of the total determined carcinogenic health risk. Overall, however it was observed that there was no significant non-carcinogenic (hazard index < 1) or carcinogenic (RiskT < 10-4) health risks associated with the use of the investigated lip products. Although all the calculated values in this study were within the acceptable limits, special attention should be taken in order to prioritize minimizing the trace metals in lip products, especially for Cd, Pb, Ti and Hg. This study could provide vital data needed to ascertain the degree to which heavy metal exposure through cosmetics is prevalent.
Keywords: Hazard quotient; Health risk assessment; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; Lip cosmetics; Metal analysis; Trace metal.
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