Physicochemical parameters of some prepared cosmetic products and their commonly used counterparts available in Nigerian markets: a comparative analysis

Abstract

A comparative analysis of four laboratory formulated body care creams, namely: body cream, deodorant, balm and hair cream was carried out with respect to their commonly used counterparts, such as Venus Moisturising Cream, Pixy Stick Deodorant, Aboniki Balm and Apple Hair Cream. This was done with a view to determining the extent to which the laboratory formulated products conformed to the generally approved cosmetics standards. The Sun Protection Factor (SPF), specific gravity and levels of potentially toxic metals were carried out for the two categories of cosmetic products using standard methods. The SPF values of the commercially available products ranged between 5.95 ± 0.25 and 31.21 ± 1.26, while those of their laboratory formulated counterparts ranged from 1.51 ± 0.06 to 12.51 ± 1.01. The commercially procured cosmetics had a range of total metal loads of 129.70 ± 2.29 to 1047.75 ± 8.62 μg/g, while their formulated counterparts had a range of 136.16 ± 2.40 to 762.85 ± 6.41 μg/g. The formulated hair cream had the highest SPF value and, hence, would protect scald skin far better than its commercially available counterparts. This study concluded that the laboratory formulated cosmetic products showed closely related properties with their commercially available counterparts.

Keywords: Cosmetics, Body cream, Balm, Hair cream, Physico-chemical parameters, Sun protection factor