Simultaneous determination of four non paraben preservatives (benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate, and salicylic acid) in shampoos by an isocratic HPLC method

Salicylic acid (SA), sodium benzoate (SB), phenoxyethanol (PO), and benzyl alcohol (BA) are “non paraben” preservatives commonly used in cosmetic products like shampoos, and often in combination of at least two compounds to assure their antimicrobial effectiveness at low concentrations. In this study, an HPLC-DAD method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of SA, SB, PO, and BA in commercial shampoos.