Spectrofluorometric Study of the Inclusion Complexation of Fluorescent Whitening Agents and β-Cyclodextrins

The inclusion complexation behavior of 2,5-Bis(5-tert-butyl-benzoxazol-2yl)-thiophene (UVOB) with native β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and βCD-monochlorotriazinyl (βCD-MCT) was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The association constant (Ks), stoichiometry, , and were evaluated at 25℃ ± 0.1℃ in phosphate buffer solution (pH = 10.5, 0.1 mo•dm–3) in order to find out the complex formation ability and stability. Fluorescence enhancement for UVOB and UVBNB with both CDs has been observed as a result of the complex formation. A stoichiometry 1:1 for UVOB in both CDs was observed;a stoichiometry 3:1 for UVBNB in both CDs has been observed. The Ksvalues for UVOB were 4916 ± 137 M–1 and 655 ± 19 M–1 (acetone: water 90/10, v/v) with βCD and βCD-MCT, respectively. The value obtained indicates a spontaneous and stable complex formation, but the complex βCD-UVOB showed high Ks value as an indicative of a high concentration of complex formed. Additionally, Ks and thermodynamic parameters and were evaluated in a commercial product UVBNB (UVOB, 13%, v/v). In aqueous solution, the values obtained were 2552 ± 115 and 1787 ± 75 M–1 respectively. Complexation of UVOB with CDs is an interesting approach for utilization of UVOB in aqueous systems without the need of solvents and or surfactants used in commercial product (UVBNB).

Determination of phenolic whitening agents in cosmetics by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with amperometric detection

A sensitive method for simultaneous determination of six phenolic whitening agents, including arbutin, phenol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, kojic acid, and salicylic acid in cosmetics has been developed using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with amperometric detection （MECC-AD）. Effects of several factors, such as the pH value and concentration of running buffer, potential applied to the working electrode, separation voltage, and injection time were investigated to obtain optimum conditions for separation and detection. With a 75 cm long fused-silica capillary tube, well-defined separation of six phenolic compounds was achieved in 10 mmol/L SDS/40 mmol/L H3BO3-Na2B407 running buffer （pH 9.0）. Good linear relationship was obtained for each analyte over three orders of magnitude with correlation coefficients （r2） between 0.9985 and 0.9994, and the detection limit （S/N = 3） ranged from 0.04 p^g/mL to 0.45 p^g/mL. The proposed method has been successfully applied for the determination of phenolic whitening agents in real cosmetic samples with satisfactory results, providing an alternative monitoring method for cosmetics safety regulation.

Direct Determination of Migration Amount of Fluorescent Whitening Agents in Facial Mask

Facial mask is a kind of skin care cosmetics, in which fluorescent whitening agents（FWAs） were added to make face skin look whiter and brighter. In this work, pig skin was used instead of human skin to test the methods. Three methods, including pig skin migration fluorescent spectrophotometry（FS）, fiber paper migration FS, and fiber paper migration visual colourimetry（VC）, were developed for determining the migration amount of FWAs from facial mask to pig skin. In the methods, a self-assembly light source and fluorescence collecting unit was used. The unit can be easily moved and the measurement was very convenient. Some experimental conditions were optimized. The fiber paper migration VC can give semi-quantitative results and was the simplest one in the three methods because collec- tion, separation and detection of the fluorescence were not needed. Both the pig skin migration FS and fiber paper migration FS can give quantitative results and compared with fiber paper migration FS, the pig skin migration FS could give more practical results by simulating the real way of using facial mask. The limits of detection for disodium 4,4＇-bis[（4-anilino-6-hydroxyethylamion-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl）amion]stilbene-2,2＇-disulphonate（VBL） obtained by pig skin migration FS and fiber paper migration FS were 0.03 and 0.05 mg/m2, respectively. 96 kinds of samples were analyzed and the migration amounts of FWAs in 21 kinds of samples were detectable. Correlations between migration amounts obtained by the three methods were very good. Experimental results indicate that the present methods can be applied to the determination of migration amount of FWAs in facial masks.

Natural products in cosmetics

The global cosmetics market reached US$500 billion in 2017 and is expected to exceed US$800 billion by 2023,at around a 7%annual growth rate.The cosmetics industry is emerging as one of the fastest-growing industries of the past decade.Data shows that the Chinese cosmetics market was US$60 billion in 2021.It is expected to be the world’s number one consumer cosmetics market by 2050,with a size of approximately US$450 billion.The influence of social media and the internet has raised awareness of the risks associated with the usage of many chemicals in cosmetics and the health benefits of natural products derived from plants and other natural resources.As a result,the cosmetic industry is now paying more attention to natural products.The present review focus on the possible applications of natural products from various biological sources in skin care cosmetics,including topical care products,fragrances,moisturizers,UV protective,and anti-wrinkle products.In addition,the mechanisms of targets for evaluation of active ingredients in cosmetics and the possible benefits of these bioactive compounds in rejuvenation and health,and their potential role in cosmetics are also discussed.