Since the dawn of civilization, cosmetics have constituted a part of routine body care by all set of people1.As a group, heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead, cobalt, copper and zinc can build up in the body over time and are known to cause varied health problems,10 which include:
cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, neurological prob- lems; memory loss; mood swings; nerve, joint and muscle disorders; cardiovascular, skeletal, blood, immune system, kidney and renal prob- lems; headaches; vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea; lung damage; con- tact dermatitis; and brittle hair and hair loss.The digest was evaporated to al- most dryness and then made up with distilled water to 100 mL. The sample solutions were subsequently analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, cobalt, mercury and zinc, using an ICP-OES at the SAIF IITM, Chennai.This paper fo- cuses on the analysis of heavy metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) used in cosmetics and its adverse effects.The main sources of heavy metal pollution in the environment are man-made effects, including combustion of fos- sil fuels, mining activities, wastewater discharges of manufacturing industries, and waste disposal6.Significant levels of heavy metals in sediments and soils may pass to the aquatic environment, groundwa- ter, and plants through the transfer processes and uptake by animals and humans leads to accumulation.Women usually attribute their problem to face creams, deodorants, shampoos and eye cleansers whereas men blame aftershaves, deodorants and shower foam and most commonly encounter with headache, nausea and dizziness7.Various organizations viz., Cosmetic Technical Working Group (CTWG), ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, etc., have for- mulated the heavy metal level in cosmetics and which are unavoid- able.Heavy metals like Lead, Arsenic, Chromium, Nickel, Mercury and Cadmium are com- mon contaminants in various cosmetic products4.Heavy metal contamination is one of the most important reasons addressing problem.