Bacteriological Analysis Of Lipsticks

Abstract

Microbial contamination of cosmetic products is a matter of great importance to the industry and it can become a major cause of both product and economic losses. Moreover. the contamination of cosmetics can result in their being converted into products hazardous for consumers. The objective of the study was to evaluate the degree of bacterial contamination in lipsticks. Fifty eight (58) samples of used lipsticks were included in the study. Each sample was inoculated on MacConkey's agar and nutrient agar plates for the isolation of bacteria. Twenty eight (28) bacterial strains were isolated belonging to 6 different species or Gram positive bacteria viz.. Bacillu.s. spp. (8; 28.6%). Micrococcus sedentarius (6; 21.4%), Streptococcus spp. (1: 3.6%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (8:28%) S. aureus (2: 7.1%) and S. epidermidis (3: 10.7%). It was concluded that lipsticks often contains preservatives but some are still subject to microbial contamination.