Antioxidant study of skin creams after expiry date by using HPLC

Dolas Ashadevi S.¹*, Gotmare Sulekha R.²

¹Ph.D Scholar,Department of Analytical Chemistry, S.N.D.T. Women’s University,

Mumbai, Maharashtra- 400 049, India

²Ex. H.O.D. Department of Analytical Chemistry, S.N.D.T. Women’s University,

Mumbai, Maharashtra- 400 049, India

*Corresponding Author E-mail: ashadolas@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Skin aging is natural physical process, yet the majority of the people would like to look younger for a longer period of time. To give skin, a younger looking appearance, people often undergo many varied skin treatments. Among them, anti-aging creams, are considered as a good option among consumers who want to delay aging. Many anti-aging creams claim that they have the properties needed that help nourish skin and can help prevent or repair fine lines and wrinkles that ultimately gives the user a younger-looking skin appearance. α-tocopherol acetate is a popular antioxidant incorporated in synthetic as well as herbal skin creams. HPLC is an efficient method to find the concentration of α-tocopherol acetate in cosmetic creams. In this paper HPLC method has been used to calculate the concentration of α-tocopherol acetate in expired anti-aging creams; and results were found to be satisfactory.

KEYWORDS: Cosmetics, Anti-aging skin creams, Antioxidants, HPLC, tocopherol acetate.

INTRODUCTION:

Aging can be categorized into two types: one is sequential skin aging and another is photo-aging. Sequential skin aging is universal and predictable while photo-aging occurs due to overexposure to UV rays (Surya et al., 2014). Continuous exposure to UV radiation causes damage to skin and it is one of the leading factors responsible for skin aging. The continuous determinations of lipid and cellular DNA also cause skin aging and free radicals play a prominent role in it (Surya et al., 2014, Mahendran et al., 2018).

Fine lines and wrinkles, changes in skin texture and tone, visible pores, skin surface dullness, blotchiness, dryness and age spots are some significant signs of aging. Wrinkles and fine lines are very common and these may also be caused due to UV1 radiations, that are emitted by the sun (Duraivel et al., 2014). Free radical species that get generated from UV1 radiations can lead to oxidative stress upon excessive production. Oxidative stress is related to many health hazards including skin aging (Mahendran et al., 2018).

Skincare today, has become an essential part of our daily life. There is a desire that the skin should appear younger for a longer period and hence people undergo various treatment methods to achieve a younger looking appearance. Anti-aging creams are often considered as a good option amongst consumers who want to delay aging. Many anti-aging creams claim that they have properties to nourish skin and help prevent or repair fine lines and wrinkles that ultimately gives a younger-looking skin appearance. Synthetic creams include synthetic ingredients to fight against signs of aging, on the other hand, herbal skin creams, claim that there are natural ingredients present, in their formulations that can delay signs of aging (Duraivel et al., 2014).

Antioxidants are a popular ingredient in many cosmetic skin cream formulations, as it has the ability to fight against free radical damage. Their preservative properties keep skin creams safe from the attack of microorganisms. There are several antioxidants available in the market including synthetic antioxidants like BHA and BHT; and according to some studies, their extensive use may cause allergic reactions in the skin. BHA is considered a possible human carcinogen by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (Laxmi and Harshal, 2015). There is evidence that BHA interferes with hormonal functions and hence it has been classified as a category-I priority substance by the European Commission on Endocrine Disruption. It is also found that in some conditions BHT may act as a trigger for tumor growth (Khan and Alam, 2019). One of the most common forms of vitamin E is α-tocopherol acetate, which is extensively used in skin care products (Claudineia et al., 2021). Vitamin E isomers are esterified to acetates because they can easily penetrate the epidermis and are known to considerably provide more stability in the over-the-counter (OTC) cream category (Anca and Teodor, 2011). It is a popular antioxidant that is not only used in synthetic formulations but it also incorporated in herbal skin creams.

The formulation of cosmetic skin cream contains complex matrix; it includes many ingredients with different functional groups. Therefore, it is very difficult to separate a particular ingredient and find its concentration. The objective of this study is to find out the concentration of antioxidant α-tocopherol acetate in expired anti-aging cream by HPLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Two commercially available herbal and synthetic expired anti-aging creams namely EXP. SC (Expired synthetic anti-aging cream) and EXP. HC (expired herbal anti-aging cream) were purchased from a retail pharmacy containing α-tocopherol acetate (tocopheryl acetate) without specifying its quantity. Analysis study was performed after reaching the date of expiry. The details are mentioned below.

Table 1: Details of sample used for study

Name of the sample	Abbreviation	Expiry Date	Date of Analysis
Expired synthetic anti-aging skin cream	EXP. SC	June 2019	Jan. 2020
Expired herbal anti-aging skin cream	EXP. HC	Nov. 2019	Jan. 2020

All reagents used for analysis were of analytical grade without further purification. Tetrahydrofuran HPLC grade (S.D. Finechem), Acetic Acid (Fischer Scientific), Acetonitrile HPLC grade (Ranchem), Methanol HPLC grade (Ranchem), α-Tocopherol Acetate (Sigma Aldrich).

HPLC Chromatographic Condition

Sonication was performed on Smita Scientific Sonicator. Chromatography performed on Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C 18 (3.0 mm x 50 mm x 2.7 um) equipped with DAD detector

Mobile phase A: Water: Tetrahydrofuran with 0.05% Acetic acid (95:5 v/v).

Mobile phase B: Acetonitrile: Methanol: Tetrahydrofuran with 0.035% Acetic acid (75: 25: 5 v/v).

Samples 20μl were injected and the flow rate was 1.0 ml/min. column temperature maintained at 45⁰C and detection was performed at 290 nm (Ashadevi and Sulekha, 2020).

HPLC Sample Preparation: Weigh 500 mg of sample in 10 ml standard volumetric flask. Add 5-7 ml extraction solvent (mobile Phase B) and keep it in ultra-sonication bath for 20 minutes. Dilute up to the mark with the same extraction solvent (mobile phase B) and filter through 0.45 μm nylon filter and inject.

HPLC Standard Preparation: 10 mg of standard diluted with 10 ml extraction solvent (mobile phase B). Prepare a series of concentrations ranging from 25 ppm to 200 ppm.

Gradient Time

Table 2: Gradient time

Time in Min./ Phase	0	3	8	15	15.1	20
Mobile Phase A	70	25	0	0	70	70
Mobile Phase B	30	75	100	100	30	30

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Figure 1 shows calibration of standard. Figure 2 indicates Chromatogram of standard at 100 ppm. Figure 3 and Figure 4 are respective chromatograms of EXP. SC and EXP. HC at zero time. Table 1 shows concentration of α-tocopherol acetate in percentage at zero time.

FIG. 1: Calibration of standard at zero time

FIG. 2: Chromatogram of standard at 100 PPM

FIG. 3: Chromatogram of exp. SC at Zero Time

FIG. 4: Chromatogram of exp. HC at zero time

CONCLUSION:

α- Tocopherol acetate is incorporated in both herbal and synthetic skin cream formulations for its antioxidant preservative property. In both selected synthetic and herbal anti-aging skin creams namely EXP.SC and EXP. HC α- tocopherol acetate was present. The matrix of skin care formulations is considered to be very complex due to the presence of various functional groups. It is very difficult to separate any particular functional group from this matrix, but the HPLC method efficiently separates and quantifies the concentration of α- tocopherol acetate in both the expired anti-aging creams. There is a satisfactory concentration of α- tocopherol acetate found in EXP. SC and EXP. HC after expiry date.

REFERENCES:

1. Surya Prabha. Matangi, Santhosh Aruna. Mamidi, Gulshan. S.T.V. Raghavamma, Rama Rao Nadendla, Formulation and Evaluation of Anti Aging Poly Herbal Cream, International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research. Volume-24, Issue-2, 2014.

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8. Dolas Ashadevi S. and Dr. Gotmare Sulekha R., Determination of α-Tocopherol Acetate Present in Commercial Herbal and Synthetic Cosmetic Skin Creams by Gradient HPLC, International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), Volume-8, Issue-4, 2020.

Received on 29.05.2023 Accepted on 30.05.2023

Research J. Topical and Cosmetic Sci. 2023; 14(1):07-10.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5844.2023.00002

Sr No.	Sample	Concentration
1	EXP. SC	0.095
2	EXP. HC	0.11