Skin Penetration of Hazardous Air Pollutants in Presence of Antipollution Cosmetics.

Different a n tipollution products have recently irrupted the market to answer current health concerns related to air contamination. Thus, the development of methodologies for the appropriate evaluation of the efficacy of these products is needed. In this study, an appropriate analytical methodology has been developed and validated for the evaluation of the effectiveness of antipollution cosmetic products against the dermal absorption of different hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). In vitro vertical Franz diffusion cells and Strat-M® as human skin simulants have been used to assess the effectivity of antipollution cosmetic products. An exposition chamber, with a fixed and constant concentration of HAPs, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers, chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, haloalkanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, has been designed and made to simulate contaminated atmospheres. The efficacy of antipollution cosmetic products has been evaluated using a multi-pollutant approach, representing a more stringent situation. Diffusion parameters, including flux and lag time, have been calculated for HAPs in the presence of cosmetic samples, using 2 mg product per cm2, and in control tests. The behavior of HAPs followed Fick's first law, allowing the calculation of diffusion parameters. Antipollution effectiveness is demonstrated by statistical evaluation of the diffusion parameters obtained for controls and cosmetics samples. So, a reduction in flux values and an increase in lag times imply an appropriate antipollution effectiveness.