Determination of adulteration in hair serums by LC-HRMS

Abstract

Minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, and clobetasol propionate might be present as adulteration agents in cosmetic products such as hair serums. In this study, minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, and clobetasol propionate in commercial hair serum samples are determined by an LC-HRMS method. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) were below 1.5% for the compounds. The correlation coefficient was determined in the range of 0.997-0.999 for each component in the calibration range. The recoveries of the method are determined as 97.5, 105.5, 104.2, and 100.8, respectively. These active pharmaceutical ingredients were not declared by the manufacturer, however, pose risk to public health due to their potential toxicological properties. The manufacturers and government authorities must be aware and give importance to inform the users to prevent the possible risks.