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A growing awareness of the risks associated with skin exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation over the past decades has led to increased use of sunscreen cosmetic products leading the introduction of new chemical compounds in the marine environment. Although coastal tourism and recreation are the largest and most rapidly growing activities in the world, the evaluation of sunscreen as source of chemicals to the coastal marine system has not been addressed. Concentrations of chemical UV filters included in the formulation of sunscreens, such as benzophehone 3 (BZ-3), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), TiO₂ and ZnO, are detected in nearshore waters with variable concentrations along the day and mainly concentrated in the surface microlayer (i.e. 53.6-577.5 ng L⁻¹ BZ-3; 51.4-113.4 ng L⁻¹ 4-MBC; 6.9-37.6 µg L⁻¹ Ti; 1.0-3.3 µg L⁻¹ Zn). The presence of these compounds in seawater suggests relevant effects on phytoplankton. Indeed, we provide evidences of the negative effect of sunblocks on the growth of the commonly found marine diatom Chaetoceros gracilis (mean EC₅₀ = 125±71 mg L⁻¹). Dissolution of sunscreens in seawater also releases inorganic nutrients (N, P and Si forms) that can fuel algal growth. In particular, PO₄³⁻ is released by these products in notable amounts (up to 17 µmol PO₄³⁻g⁻¹). We conservatively estimate an increase of up to 100% background PO₄³⁻ concentrations (0.12 µmol L⁻¹ over a background level of 0.06 µmol L⁻¹) in nearshore waters during low water renewal conditions in a populated beach in Majorca island. Our results show that sunscreen products are a significant source of organic and inorganic chemicals that reach the sea with potential ecological consequences on the coastal marine ecosystem.

Vitamin A (retinol) and some of its derivatives are a group of fat-soluble compounds used in cosmetic products as bioactive ingredients. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the quality control of final product to ensure their efficacy and safety. A simple and rapid method to determine retinol, retinal, retinyl acetate, retinyl propionate and retinyl palmitate in cosmetics is presented here. The method is based on vortex and/or ultrasound-assisted leaching of the analytes in ethanol followed by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The analytical performance of the method was evaluated. It has shown high levels of linearity, at least up to 100 µg mL−1; high precision with RSD values below 14% and high sensitivity with low MLODs ranging between 0.3 × 10−4 and 5.9 × 10−4 % w/w, which are enough to monitor these compounds in cosmetic products. The proposed method was successfully applied to seven commercial cosmetic samples to detect and quantify the target analytes, showing the method is suitable for its employment for quality control in cosmetic industries. Cosmetic samples were spiked at two levels of concentration and recovery values around 100% were obtained, showing no significant matrix effects and, therefore, external calibration was adequate for this determination.

In this work, a miniaturized and sustainable method for the determination of endocrine-disrupting bisphenols in human serum and urine employing the miniaturized stir bar sorptive dispersive microextraction (mSBSDME) approach has been developed. As bisphenols are conjugated in the human body to their glucorinated and sulfated forms, an enzymolysis employing a commercial mixture of β-glucuronidase and arylsulfatase was carried out prior to the microextraction procedure to determine their total content. A magnetic covalent organic framework (COF) was employed as the sorbent to carry out the extraction of the analytes from the biological matrixes, showing good extraction performance due to its hydrophobic, π–π, and dipole–dipole interactions with the analytes. As instrumental detection, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed to achieve good sensitivity and selectivity. The method was validated for both matrixes, showing good linearity at least up to 100 ng mL −1 , limits of detection in the low ng mL −1 range, good precision values (relative standard deviations below 15%), and good accuracy (relative recoveries between 80 and 127%). In order to show the applicability of the developed method, five samples from female volunteers were analyzed with the final aim of offering a practical tool for monitoring the female population’s exposure to these highly endocrine-disrupting compounds. This new procedure enhances the implementation of miniaturized sample preparation approaches in biological samples for clinical analysis, giving special relevance to the sustainability of the method.

The high consumer demand for cosmetic products has caused the authorities and the industry to require rigorous analytical controls to assure their safety and efficacy. Thus, the determination of prohibited compounds that could be present at trace level due to unintended causes is increasingly important. Furthermore, some cosmetic ingredients can be percutaneously absorbed, further metabolized and eventually excreted or bioaccumulated. Either the parent compound and/or their metabolites can cause adverse health effects even at trace level. Moreover, due to the increasing use of cosmetics, some of their ingredients have reached the environment, where they are accumulated causing harmful effects in the flora and fauna at trace levels. To this regard, the development of sensitive analytical methods to determine these cosmetic-related compounds either for cosmetic control, for percutaneous absorption studies or for environmental surveillance monitoring is of high interest. In this sense, (micro)extraction techniques based on nanomaterials as extraction phase have attracted attention during the last years, since they allow to reach the desired selectivity. The aim of this review is to provide a compilation of those nanomaterial-based (micro)extraction techniques for the determination of cosmetic-related compounds in cosmetic, biological and/or environmental samples spanning from the first attempt in 2010 to the present.

A new mix-mode cellulose-based sorptive phase is described that combines two different polymeric domains (i.e., nylon and polystyrene), thus providing simultaneous hydrophilic and hydrophobic features as a result. By analogy with Janus materials, the new paper-based sorptive phase has been named paper-based polystyrene/nylon Janus-platform (P-Ps/Ny-JP). The main advantages of the proposed P-Ps/Ny-JP are the sustainability, simplicity in synthesis, and low cost of this extraction device. The main parameters affecting the synthesis (i.e., coating procedure and polymers proportion) have been studied, and the resulting material has been characterized via scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. As a proof-of-concept, the simultaneous extraction of fourteen UV filters of a wide range of polarity, with log P values ranging from − 0.234 to 16.129, from water samples and their determination by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has been performed. The proposed methodology enables the determination of these chemicals with limits of detection from 12 to 71 ng L −1 , and the precision, expressed as a relative standard deviation, was below 15%. The extraction device was applied to the analysis of real water samples likely to contain UV filters (i.e., two private swimming pool water and one seawater) and the recovery values were in the range 73–121%. Graphical abstract

An analytical method for the determination of hydroxyethoxyphenyl butanone, which is used as an alternative preservative in cosmetic products, has been developed and validated for the first time. The method is based on a simple ultrasound-assisted lixiviation of the analyte from the cosmetic matrix followed by liquid chromatography with UV spectrophotometric detection. Under optimized conditions, the method limit of detection and limit of quantification values were 30 and 90 µg·g−1, respectively. The method was validated with good recovery values (86–103%) and precision values (RSD 0.2–4.7%). Finally, the proposed analytical method was successfully applied to 7 commercially available cosmetic samples including both lipophilic and hydrophilic matrices, such as moisturizing cream, sunscreen, shampoo, liquid hand soap, and make-up. Additionally, a laboratory-made cosmetic cream containing the target analyte was prepared and analyzed. The good analytical figures of merit of the proposed method, in addition to its environmentally-friendly characteristics, demonstrate its usefulness to perform the quality control of cosmetic products to ensure the safety of consumers.

A poly(methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate)-based magnetic sorbent was used for the rapid and sensitive determination of tricyclic antidepressants and their main active metabolites in human urine. This material was characterized by magnetism measurements, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, and thermogravimetric analysis. The proposed analytical method is based on stir bar sorptive-dispersive microextraction (SBSDME) followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The main parameters involved in the extraction step were optimized by using the response surface methodology as a multivariate optimization method, whereas a univariate approach was employed to study the desorption parameters. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was properly validated showing good linearity (at least up to 50 ng mL −1 ) and enrichment factors (13–22), limits of detection and quantification in the low ng L −1 range (1.4–7.0 ng L −1 ), and good intra- and inter-day repeatability (relative standard deviations below 15%). Matrix effects were observed for the direct analysis of urine samples, but they were negligible when a 1:1 v/v dilution with deionized water was performed. Finally, the method was successfully applied to human urine samples from three volunteers, one of them consuming a prescribed drug for depression that tested positive for clomipramine and its main active metabolite. Quantitative relative recoveries (80–113%) were obtained by external calibration. The present work expands the applicability of the SBSDME to new analytes and new types of magnetic sorbents. Graphical abstract

Background Cortisone is derived from cortisol through the action of the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II, and it has gained importance in recent years as a biomarker of stress. This study aimed to develop and validate an assay for the measurement of cortisone in pig saliva and evaluate whether its concentration varies in stressful situations. For this purpose, a specific immunoassay was developed and validated analytically, and a study was performed to evaluate whether cortisone concentrations in saliva can vary under heat stress conditions. Results The assay proved to be accurate, reliable, and sensitive for the measurement of cortisone in pig saliva. The limit of detection of the assay was set at 0.006 ng/ml, and the lower limit of quantification was 0.023 ng/ml. It also correlated significantly with the results obtained by LC‒MS/MS ( P  = 0.003; r  = 0.64). In addition, the cortisone concentration in animals subjected to prolonged heat stress decreased significantly 15 days after treatment ( P  < 0.0001). Conclusions According to these results, cortisone measured by this assay could be used as a tool for the non-invasive evaluation of thermal stress in pig saliva.

Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid with proven pharmacological properties that is also used in the cosmetic industry for its sebostatic and antioxidant activities, being considered a new anti-aging ally. An analytical method is proposed for the determination of CBD in cosmetic products by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, after leaching the CBD from the cosmetic matrix with ethanol. Low instrumental limits of detection (0.22 ng mL−1) and quantification (0.74 ng mL−1) allow the determination of CBD at trace levels without needing preconcentration, whereas the wide linearity of the method allows the determination of CBD in more concentrated samples without high dilution. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of six cosmetic products and a raw material. The proposed method is suitable for the quality control of cosmetic products containing CBD, being able to quickly and easily determine this compound, ensuring that its concentration in the finished product is the desired one.