Abstract: (7929 Views)
Background and purpose: Risk of pathogen transmission through poor quality cosmetic products that are illegally smuggled is very high. In this study the microbial contamination of some foundation creams obtained from poor quality markets and a sample obtained from pharmacy were investigated.
Materials and methods: In this study the microbial content (bacterial total count, fungal count, and presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter) of all samples were evaluated using pour plate and multiple tube techniques
Results: The samples were 83.33% contaminated. Fungal contamination in was observed in 42.8% of total samples. All samples were found contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms and Staphylococcus aureus was observed to be the most preponderant.
Conclusion: High level of contamination in foundation creams, threatens the health of consumers. These results indicate that high levels of contaminants are found even in raw materials used for preparation of cosmetic products. Contaminations in all processes of producing, packing, and storing of such products call for a more active involvement of quality assurance system in cosmetic industry.