Author
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King, Jerry |
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Submitted to: Journal of Microcolumn Separations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Numerous agriculturally-derived products, such as lanolin, specialized seed oils, and odoriferous extracts, find widespread application in the cosmetic and personal care products industry. These products are frequently complex, being composed of many compounds, whose distribution and relative proportions are critical to the performance of the ingredients in cosmetic formulations. An analytical technique which can be used to conveniently assay and characterize these products is called supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). This technique uses a highly compressed gas as an active mobile phase to affect the separation of the natural components in these products and requires minimal preparation of the sample prior to analysis. In this study, SFC has been used to characterize and separate the components of lanolin and its derivatives, which are widely incorporated into many cosmetic formulations. SFC has also been used to assist in the deformulation of cosmetic formulations, such as lipsticks and lipbalms which contain lanolin and similar ingredients that can be dissolved in SFC's mobile phase. Results from the SFC runs allow a product formulator to ascertain the presence of natural versus synthetic lanolin in a formulation, as well as the presence of petrolatum or beeswax in the commercial product. SFC allows the determination of synthetic and natural antioxidants in the cosmetic formulation, components critical to the shelflife of the product. Technical Abstract: Capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is an extremely versatile technique for the characterization of natural products that are used in the cosmetics industry. In this study, the utility of capillary SFC for separating components contained in natural lanolin, cosmetic grade lanolin, lanolin derivatives, and for profiling the components in cosmetic formulations, such as lipsicks and lip balms, is demonstrated. Capillary SFC is also shown to be facile for separating reaction products from starting materials for substrates frequently used in cosmetic formulating. Optimal stationary phases for the separation of nonpolar and lipophilic components found in cosmetic products have been determined. SFC profiles generated on SB-Octyl columns using linear density programs have been particularly useful for cosmetic deformulation. Retention data on complex natural mixtures correlate with the overall polarity of the solutes and traditional SFC retention patterns based on the molecular weight of the solutes. |
