Qualitative and quantitative analysis of hydroquinone and mercury contents in body whitening creams

Bright skin is frequently considered the primary beauty indicator in Indonesia. This belief drives many women, even men, to try various strategies to instantly brighten or whiten their skin. This is undoubtedly a significant business opportunity for cosmetic business players. However, this phenomenon also allows irresponsible people to deliberately list prohibited ingredients to reap more profits. Mercury and hydroquinone are the two most prohibited ingredients in whitening creams. This study aimed to analyze mercury and hydroquinone levels in body whitening creams sold in cosmetic stores and marketplaces in Malang City, Indonesia. Mercury was detected qualitatively with the wet deconstruction method using 0.5 N KI, 2 N NaOH, and 2 M HCl color reagents, while the levels were quantified via a mercury analyzer. Meanwhile, hydroquinone was detected qualitatively by the FeCl3 color reagent and TLC method, and the levels were determined via the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method. The validation of method analysis of hydroquinone has fulfilled the parameters, including specificity and selectivity (retention time 2.111 ± 0.004 min; resolution 4.556 ± 0.096; tailing factor 1.446±0.1909), linearity (y = 44563x-54717; r = 0.999), accuracy (%recovery = 97.9-102.8%), precision (%RSD = 0.38-0.94%), LOD (1.695 ppm) and LOQ (5.137 ppm). Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis, all samples contained less than 1 mg/kg mercury, but only one sample contained hydroquinone with a 4.35 ± 0.24% level. The results indicated that all samples met BPOM requirements for the mercury level threshold. However, there was still a possibility that the body whitening cream containing hydroquinone exceeded the required limit.