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ABSTRACT
Long term exposures to heavy metals have resulted in numerous toxicities. Trace amounts of potentially toxic heavy metals can be either intentionally added to cosmetics or present as impurities in the raw materials used for the manufacturing of the product. Currently, there is no documentation on the presence of heavy metals in cosmetic sold in Benin City, Nigeria hence this study. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of heavy metals in different cosmetic products sold in Benin City. These cosmetic products include several brands of face powders. The face powders were randomly sampled from major markets in Benin City after which they were analyzed for the presence of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, nickel and copper) using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer prior to wet acid digestion and the concentrations of the selected heavy metals were determined in duplicate. All the samples analyzed contained a detectable amount of all the metals of interest. The mean concentrations observed in the powder samples ranged between ND-0.19 ppm Pb; 0.02-0.04 ppm Cd; 0.04-0.19 ppm Ni; 0.03-0.41 ppm Cu. The result obtained revealed that the concentrations were below the permissible limit set by regulatory bodies, an indication that the powders sampled are potentially safe for its users. Also, it is evident from the study that the use of these cosmetic products exposes users to low concentrations of heavy metals which could constitute potential health risk to its users since it has been known that heavy metals can accumulate in biological system over time and induce toxicity. There is therefore the need to indicate the levels of heavy metals on the labels of these face powders in order to create awareness to its users. This would as well provide insight to the fears of the dangers that may result due to the combined or prolonged usage of these products.
