Project Summary
The beauty industry is a billion-dollar industry. The beauty products industry is a flouring industry where the manufacturers of these beautification products benefit from the massive profits gained. It is no wonder the industry has attracted the high volumes of counterfeit makeup flooding the market as people who are focused on making money at the expense of the consumers produce low quality and toxic products. The products have been tested by the FDA and found to contain high levels of known cadmium, beryllium, and other carcinogens, not to mention the high number of infectious bacteria (Roediger, 2018). Therefore, this experiment aims at determining the levels of mercury, lead, iron, copper, and pathogenic bacteria in a sample of lipstick purchased from local outlets. The test conducted on mercury, lead, iron, and copper is a simple test that can be replicated to identify counterfeit makeup to save the masses from the effects of contact with the hazardous compounds.
Background
Makeup is meant to be manufactured within highly sanitized environments to avoid contamination of the products. However, counterfeit makeup is prepared in unsanitized areas, mostly, back rooms. The manufacturers of the fake makeups are people with no qualifications to perform such laboratory tests as the production of these beauty products involves numerous chemical reactions to determine safe levels of various chemicals. Moreover, beauty products include the use of substances that are incredibly toxic to human health. Such chemicals comprise Butylated compounds, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and parabens, to name but a few (Roediger, 2018). Therefore, it is critical to ensure that makeups have been tested and approved as safe for human consumption.
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Scientific investigation is vital as fake makeup has been reported to be associated with health conditions such as skin rashes, inflammation of body parts like lips, and itchiness or burning sensation. Most of these health conditions need to be treated immediately; they are noticed. Delays might lead to the accumulation of the chemicals in the body, which could lead to long term illnesses such as cancer. Apart from the counterfeit makeup to have been established with high levels of metals such as zinc, mercury, and lead, among other toxic compounds, the products have also been found to contain high levels of pathogenic bacteria (De Cuyper, 2008). Most of the consumers of fake beauty products are attracted to the products by their cheap discounts.
Most of the counterfeit has been confiscated by the law enforcement agencies and many people associated with the counterfeit prosecuted for trademark violations. For instance, the famous Kylie Jenner brand is profoundly affected by the fake products which are mostly imported from either China or Hong Kong (Lei, 2019). This research is hugely significant as anybody at any place can perform it. Therefore, it will help consumers avoid the use of toxic and hazardous products by performing simple tests on the products before consumption: this experiment can, thus, be replicated anywhere to verify whether the places where the product has been purchased sell authentic merchandise.
Objectives
The objective of this experiment is:
To determine the quantity of mercury, lead, iron, and copper present in a presumed counterfeit lipstick purchased from the streets.
To establish the presence of E. coli, P. Aeruginosa, and S. Aureus in the counterfeit lipstick.
Research Question
What is the probability of purchasing counterfeit makeup in nearby outlets?
Methodology
Mercury Test
To perform this simple experiment, a 250ml beaker will be required, a stirring rod, one liter distilled water, and a mercury water test kit. A stick of the presumed counterfeit lipstick was then dissolved by heating in a microwave to 540°C. The cloudy solution obtained was then mixed with 200 ml of the distilled water in a beaker or any transparent container that has calibrations. From the mercury water test kit, a single test strip was inserted into the water-lipstick solution while taking caution to ensure that the piece was moved in random motion within the solution for 60 seconds. The strip was then removed from the water solution and shook vigorously to remove the excess water. After approximately 30 seconds, the piece was matched with the nearest color from the mercury water test kit.
Lead, Iron, and Copper Test
Three sticks of lipstick were heated in a microwave and then digested with nitric acid for lead recovery. Caution was taken by ensuring that while in the aqueous form, the pH values of the solution were obtained constantly using a glass electrode pH meter model. By the use of an atomic absorption spectrometer, all absorption volumes were recorded. The block of Polyhydroxybutyrate-b-poly dimethyl Siloxane copolymer was synthesized from Polyhydroxybutyrate, Poly (dimethylsiloxane) bis (2-aminopropyl ether), Tinn-2-octanoate, and Stannous octoate that acted as the catalyst (Withum & Locke, 2006). The catalyst was dissolved in 50 ml of Chloroform, and the resultant solution refluxed for three hours.
An otary evaporator was then used to evaporate the solvent, and the purification process repeated while the product of the polymer was dried at 40°C. An eluent was prepared and then evaporated to complete dryness, then 1mol/L of nitric acid used to dilute the residue. The determination of copper, lead, and iron was examined by the use of the flame AAS method. Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria
A small portion (100 μL) of the lipstick solution was obtained and boiled for five minutes to extract DNA strands of the pathogenic bacteria. Centrifugation was then performed for five minutes at 10,000g, and then PCR reactions performed for the confirmation of the presence of the pathogenic bacteria followed by amplification.
Work Plan
|
Activity |
Time Frame |
When The Project Milestone Will Be Attained |
Anticipated Outcome |
| Design of experiment |
Ten days |
10 th – 20 th Feb 2020 |
Experiment designed |
| Research on possible outlets for counterfeit makeup |
14 days |
21 st Feb – 15 th March 2020 |
Possible outlets for the sale of counterfeit identified. Necessary research literature collected. |
| Preparation of the proposal and forwarding for donor consideration |
Eight days |
16 th – 23 rd March 2020 |
Feedback from the donors on whether the project has been accepted or denied. |
| Purchase of Equipment and chemicals |
Three days |
7 th – 10 th April 2020 |
Equipment purchased |
| Conducting the experiment |
One day |
11 th April 2020 |
Results collected |
| Sharing the feedback and results |
12 th – 31 st April 2020 |
Implementation of recommendations. |
Outcomes
The recommended levels authorized to be used in beauty products is 1000 parts per million of mercury (Zhu et al., 2014). But, from the lipstick sample, the levels of mercury present were 4,000 ppm, which leads to the conclusion that the product is a counterfeit, and therefore, purchases should not be made from the outlets that sales counterfeit products since the products are incredibly toxic and a health hazard. Similarly, 435 mg/kg of copper, 12, 168 mg/kg of iron, while the levels of lead were not significant, most probably due to the subjection of the lipstick to heat.
Mercury is a threat to the development of a fetus in pregnant women who use such beauty products and, thus, may affect the growth (Withum & Locke, 2006). Furthermore, mercury is known to impair the nervous system, and depending on the toxicity levels may affect the immune as well as the digestive system. Excess copper in the body is known for causing nausea, headaches, irregular heartbeat, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, as well as stomach upsets. Conversely, iron loads in the body are associated with higher risks of liver cirrhosis, premature death, hypothyroidism, cancer, osteoporosis, hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, metabolic syndrome, and osteoarthritis (Zhu et al., 2014). Likewise, increased levels of lead in the body are also extremely toxic as they are related to attacks on the central nervous system as well as the brain. At other times, high concentrations in the body are known to cause convulsions, coma, or the untimely demise of a victim. Studies conducted on children exposed to high levels of lead have indicated that the survivors suffer from behavioral disorders that might be accompanied by mental retardation (Zhu et al., 2014). Thus, a combined accumulation of all these heavy materials poses a serious risk to the consumers of the counterfeit products.
Strains of Escherichia coli were found present in the sample counterfeit lipstick while there were no visible signs of P. Aeruginosa and S. Aureus . The pathogenic bacteria E. coli are associated with kidney failure, dehydration, and blood in diarrhea among health-related issues (Zhu et al., 2014). Hence, the findings in this study could be instrumental in saving the lives of numerous consumers who use counterfeit products unaware of the health implications or how to determine the fake products.
Budget
|
Item |
Quantity |
Unit Cost |
Total Cost |
| Counterfeit Lipstick | 4 piece |
$8.00 |
$32.00 |
| Beaker (250 ml) | 4 pieces |
$17.00 |
$68.00 |
| Mercury water Test Kit | 1 unit |
$30.00 |
$30.00 |
| Testing Strips | 50 strips |
$8.00 |
$8.00 |
| Stirring rod | 1 piece |
$3.00 |
$3.00 |
| Centrifugal Machine | 1 unit |
$1,500.00 |
$1,500.00 |
| PCR Machine | 1 unit |
$15,000.00 |
$15,000.00 |
| Microwave | 1 unit |
$400.00 |
$400.00 |
| Nitric Acid | 2.5 ltr |
$140.00 |
$140.00 |
| Perkin-Elmer Model (Flame AAS) | 1 unit |
$16,500.00 |
$16,500.00 |
| pH meter | 1 piece |
$150.00 |
$150.00 |
| Rotary Evaporator | 1 unit |
$3,120.00 |
$3,120.00 |
| Chemicals | - |
$2,000.00 |
$2,000.00 |
| Transportation Costs | 1 pax |
$200.00 |
$200.00 |
| Per diem | 1 pax |
$100.00 |
$100.00 |
| Contingency 10% |
$3,925.10 |
||
| Total Cost |
$43176.10 |
||
References
De Cuyper, C. (2008). Permanent makeup: indications and complications. Clinics in dermatology , 26 (1), 30-34.
Lei, J. (2019). Makeup or Fakeup: The Need to Regulate Counterfeit Cosmetics through Improved Chinese Intellectual Property Enforcement. Fordham L. Rev. , 88 , 309.
Roediger, R. (2018). The Culture of Counterfeiting: the Interplay of Social Norms in the Regulation and Creation of Counterfeit Goods.
Withum, J. A., & Locke, J. E. (2006). Evaluation of mercury emissions from coal-fired facilities with SCR and FGD systems . Consol Energy Inc.
Zhu, Y., Li, H., Shi, B., Qu, W., Zhang, Y., Lin, Q., & Wei, T. (2014). A reversible fluorescent chemosensor for the rapid detection of mercury ions (II) in water with high sensitivity and selectivity. Rsc Advances , 4 (106), 61320-61323.
