Overview

Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid. About 80 % of all phthalates manufactured are used as "plasticizers" to make plastics flexible without sacrificing strength or durability. These compounds are present in cosmetic products like perfumes and toiletries. Some phthalates, particularly those of low molecular weight, are introduced into cosmetics as ingredients, for examples DEP and DMP are used as solvents and perfume fixatives or DEP can be used as alcohol denaturing. Their presence in such products may come from their use as ingredients during the manufacturing process or may come from the migration of phthalates from packaging when plastic is used. Their presence as contaminant could also be due to the manufacturing process or raw materials used. Some analytical methods are proposed in the literature for the determination of phthalates in cosmetic products. This European Standard specifies a GC/MS method for the assay of 12 phthalates, amongst which the 8 phthalates are regulated by the European cosmetic regulation 1223/2009. This method is given for the analysis of samples ready for analytical injection from cosmetic products or raw materials used in cosmetic products. Samples should be compatible with GC analysis possibly after dilution. This method does not include requirements for the preparation of samples in cosmetic matrices for which direct injection in GC is not feasible. This document (EN 16521:2014) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 392 "Cosmetics", the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR (France). The responsible German Working Committee is Working Committee NA 057-07-01 AA "Kosmetische Mittel" ("Cosmetics") at the Food and Agricultural Products Standards Committee (NAL) at DIN.

Document: references other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 057-07-01 AA - Cosmetics  

Responsible european committee

CEN/TC 392/WG 1 - Analytical methods