Determination of 19 Preservatives in Various Matrices by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of 19 preservatives in cosmetic matrices. The composition of the mobile phase was optimized as a gradient to achieve a lower detection limit when compared to previously validated methods, and sample preparation conditions were investigated to optimize separation of the 19 preservatives. A C18 column was used with methanol, 0.05 mol/L ammonium acetate buffer, and water as the mobile phase under gradient elution conditions. Preservatives in cosmetics were extracted with 70% methanol using an ultrasonicator, after which they were analyzed with an HPLC-photodiode array detector. All preservatives were separated within 55 min. The recoveries ranged from 94.9% to 102.8%, with relative standard deviations of less than 3.2% and no correlation coefficients lower than 0.9986. Additionally, the developed method has a low detection limit, which makes it possible to analyze trace levels of compounds in various cosmetic and ingredient matrices.