Determination of Preservative Allergens in Skincare Products by Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) With Response Surface Methodology (RSM) Optimization

The aim of this study was to optimize the extraction conditions of 15 preservative allergens from skincare products using response surface methodology (RSM) and determination by gas chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The optimal parameters were: 50% acetonitrile (ACN) (% v/v), a solvent/sample ratio of 80, and an extraction time of 10 min. The method provided good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.990) from 0.01 to 2 µg/mL with low limits of detection (0.02–0.2 mg/kg) and quantification (0.04–1 mg/kg). Recoveries ranged from 70.1 to 125.6% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) varied from 2.0 to 14.9%. The method was successfully applied to eighty skincare products to accurately quantify these preservatives allergens.