Assessment of Adulteration of Cosmetics Based on Vegetable Oils by GC-FID and Lipid Profile Using Direct Infusion Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS)

Vegetable oils have properties that are beneficial to the human skin, and so, they are being used increasingly as ingredients of many cosmetic preparations; however, they are targets of adulteration. This study will evaluate the authenticity of Brazilian cosmetics based on vegetable oils (sesame, peanut, sunflower, and almonds) to determine the composition of fatty acids by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and the percentage of fatty acids in conjunction with chemometric treatments (principal component analysis), and lipid profiles using direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The results obtained were compared with the respective pure vegetable oils. Of the seven brands analyzed, three were revealed as authentic, three were found to be adulterated with the addition of large amounts of soybean oil, and one showed no vegetable oils. These results demonstrate the relevance of quality control for cosmetics based on vegetable oils, which are more susceptible to adulteration owing to their higher cost when compared with vegetable oils such as soybean.

植物油具有益于人体皮肤的特性，因此愈发广泛地被用作各类化妆品制剂的原料；但与此同时，植物油亦是掺假造假的重点目标。本研究将评估巴西植物油基化妆品（涵盖芝麻油、花生油、葵花籽油与杏仁油）的真伪：采用气相色谱-火焰离子化检测器（GC-FID）法测定脂肪酸组成与脂肪酸占比，并结合化学计量学分析（主成分分析，principal component analysis），同时通过直接注入电喷雾电离质谱法（ESI-MS）分析脂质谱。所得实验结果将与对应纯植物油样本进行比对。在所分析的7个品牌中，3个被证实为正品，3个因掺入大量大豆油而被判定为掺假，另有1个未检出植物油成分。本研究结果凸显了植物油基化妆品质量管控的必要性：相较于大豆油等其他植物油，植物油原料成本更高，因此更易遭遇掺假造假。