Skincare Products as Sources of Mutagenic Exposure to Infants: An Imperative Study Using a Battery of Microbial Bioassays

Nepalia, Amrita; Singh, Anuradha; Mathur, Nupur; Kamath, Rajashree; Pareek, Smita; Agarwal, Maithili

doi:10.1007/s00244-021-00814-6

Published: 01 February 2021

Skincare Products as Sources of Mutagenic Exposure to Infants: An Imperative Study Using a Battery of Microbial Bioassays

Amrita Nepalia ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1278-0732¹^nAff3,
Anuradha Singh¹,
Nupur Mathur¹,
Rajashree Kamath²,
Smita Pareek¹ &
Maithili Agarwal¹

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology volume 80, pages 499–506 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Infant skin is highly absorptive and sensitive to exposure from external agents (microbes, toxicants, heat, cold, etc.). Many specialized infant skincare products are currently commercially available. Although the manufacturers claim that their products are mild enough to suit the infant skin, these products need to be studied for their safety. Using animal models to examine the safety of the ever-increasing number of skincare products is not economically or logistically feasible. To overcome this problem, we suggest using a battery of microbial bioassays as a robust system for monitoring the mutagenic potential of skincare products. We picked popular infant skincare products from the Indian market and assessed them by using a battery of three microbial mutagenicity bioassays. Most of them showed significant and reproducible mutagenic potential. Our study results raise concerns about regular use of infant products and emphasize the need to enforce strict regulations for the manufacturing and safety assessment of infant products.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Head, Department of Zoology, University of Rajasthan, for providing the essential infrastructure required for the study.

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Author information

Amrita Nepalia
Present address: Department of Molecular Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

Affiliations

Environmental Molecular Microbiology Lab (EMM), Department of Zoology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, 302004, India
Amrita Nepalia, Anuradha Singh, Nupur Mathur, Smita Pareek & Maithili Agarwal
Economics and Quantitative Techniques Group, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, 560074, India
Rajashree Kamath

Authors

Amrita Nepalia
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Anuradha Singh
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Nupur Mathur
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Rajashree Kamath
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Smita Pareek
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Maithili Agarwal
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Contributions

AN: Planning, experimentation, data analysis, writing and editing. AS: Planning and editing. NM: Planning and editing. RK: Data analysis. SP: Experimentation and editing. MA: editing.

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Correspondence to Amrita Nepalia.

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Nepalia, A., Singh, A., Mathur, N. et al. Skincare Products as Sources of Mutagenic Exposure to Infants: An Imperative Study Using a Battery of Microbial Bioassays. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 80, 499–506 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-021-00814-6

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Received: 16 July 2020
Accepted: 08 January 2021
Published: 01 February 2021
Issue Date: February 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-021-00814-6