Cosmetics

Evaluation of the quality of talcum powder marketed in Morocco for pharmaceutical-cosmetic use – Ayyoub Selmaoui Khayali

15 May, 2023 por Anabel Torrente Leave a Comment

Talc is a raw material whose mineralogical origin is related to other types of soils and minerals such as quartz, magnesite and serpentine.

Talc is widely used in industries such as textiles, paper, food and ceramics and especially in the pharmaceutical industry. This is why exhaustive quality and safety controls are carried out on the mineralogical and chemical composition of the product.

This sparked my interest in studying the mineralogical and chemical composition of talc samples from Morocco in 2022 for pharmaceutical-cosmetic use. The quality guidelines established in European regulations have been followed in order to assess the suitability of the samples with a view to their possible introduction into the European market.

Keywords: talc, mineral quality, pharmaceutical-cosmetic, Morocco.

Directed by: María Virginia Fernández González

Cosmetic formulations for topical acne treatment – María Díaz Salas

7 May, 2022 por Anabel Torrente Leave a Comment

Acne is a worldwide disease, affecting mainly the 12 – 24 years-old age group, in which it is the most common disease. Several options are available as treatment for acne, including topical or oral antibiotics, topical retinoids, hormone-based therapies, isotretinoin, etc. However, due to the side effects they can cause and the worldwide increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics, new alternatives are being sought to balance the skin microbiota, the set of microorganisms that reside on our skin. Cutibacterium acnes is a bacterium found normally in healthy skin and more abundantly in people with acne.

New alternatives include the use of topical probiotics (such as Lactobacillus fermentum), which are live microorganisms that directly improve and modify the skin’s microbiota and immune response.
These probiotics directly inhibit C. acnes with proteins that act against microorganisms and also have properties that modify the skin’s immune system. Hence, this Master’s thesis focuses on the development of new cosmetics with natural ingredients enriched with probiotics with the aim of balancing the skin’s microbiota to combat diseases such as acne and avoid the unwanted side effects of the anti-acne treatments currently in use.

Keywords: skin; acne; probiotics; Lactobacillus fermentum; mask

Directed by: Mª Encarnación Morales Hernández

Research on talcum powder from Norway. Quality assessment for pharmaceutical-cosmetic use – Soraya Mena Rosado

1 May, 2022 por Anabel Torrente Leave a Comment

Talc is a mineral species belonging to the Phyllosilicates (class of Silicates). It is a hydrated magnesium silicate, formed naturally by the alteration of other minerals. This means that talcum powder may be composed of additional minerals other than talc (chlorites, carbonates, quartz, amphiboles, among others).
The characteristics of talc make it a unique raw material with a wide variety of applications in different industrial sectors, including the pharmaceutical-cosmetic sector.
Samples of talcum powder were studied and their quality for pharmaceutical-cosmetic use was evaluated using the standards of the European Pharmacopoeia and different advanced complementary methods such as: XRF, DRX, ICP-masses, SEM-EDX, calcimetry and atomic absorption.
Most of the samples presented high relative purity in the mineral species talc, with a content of over 90% in most cases. This indicates good mineral quality for cosmetic use. Most of the samples also have good Pharmacopoeia quality and are therefore suitable for pharmaceutical-cosmetic use.

Keywords: Talc; European Pharmacopoeia; Mineral quality; Pharmaceutical-Cosmetic Use; Impurities.

Directed by: María Virginia Fernández González

Chemical-mineralogical study of commercial talcum powders purchased on Amazon and evaluation of their suitability for pharmaceutical-cosmetic use – Laura Cazorla Navarro

1 May, 2022 por Anabel Torrente Leave a Comment

Talc is a hydrated magnesium silicate, with the formula Mg3(OH)2Si4O10, which may contain small amounts of other associated minerals, such as Chlorite, Calcite, Dolomite and Magnesite. The characteristics of talc make it a unique raw material with a wide variety of applications in different industrial sectors, including the pharmaceutical-cosmetic sector.
In this research, we carried out a chemical, mineralogical and Pharmacopoeia study of samples of various talcum powders purchased on Amazon, by applying the European Pharmacopoeia standards and other complementary methods such as: XRF, XRD, ICP-mass, SEM-EDX, calcimetry and atomic absorption.
Most of the samples had a high talc purity (90-100%) with a few impurities such as Chlorite, Calcite, Dolomite, Quartz and Zincite.
In terms of mineral quality, all the talcum powders studied were suitable for cosmetic use. However, in terms of Pharmacopoeia quality, only six of the samples met the requirements.

Keywords: Talc; European Pharmacopoeia; Mineral quality; Pharmaceutical-Cosmetic Use; Impurities.

Directed by: María Virginia Fernández González

Talcum powder from the Italian market. Suitability for pharmaceutical and cosmetic use – Belén María Ruiz Corzo

1 May, 2022 por Anabel Torrente Leave a Comment

Talc is a mineral raw material, rich in the talc species with chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. It belongs to the silicates class, specifically to phyllosilicates 2:1 and the subgroup of pyrophyllite-talc. This mineral is naturally associated with other minerals such as chlorites, magnesites and dolomites. In these cases, it is less pure and therefore of poorer quality.
Talc is widely used in industry, in particular as a pharmaceutical-cosmetic product. Pharmaceutical-cosmetic safety controls must therefore be conducted on these products and their mineralogical and chemical composition must be studied.
The aim of this research was to study the mineralogical and chemical composition of samples of topical talcum powder acquired in the Italian market in 2020, so as to determine the Pharmacopoeia quality of these samples and their suitability for use. To this end, the parameters specified in the European Pharmacopoeia 2014 were followed.

Keywords: Talc; European Pharmacopoeia; Mineral quality; Pharmaceutical-Cosmetic Use; Impurities.

Directed by: María Virginia Fernández González