Comparison of analyses of surfactants in cosmetics using high-performance liquid chromatography and high-performance capillary electrophoresis

Separation of anionic, cationic, and amphoteric surfactants containing n-dodecyl groups and hydrophilic moieties was done by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE), and an ultraviolet-visible detector. Quantitation of surfactants in commercial cosmetic and toiletry products was also done using similar methods. Conditions used to separate mixtures of surfactants by HPLC are as follows: stationary phase: ODS 2; mobile phase: MeOH/H₂O (80∶20, vol/vol) containing 1.0M NH₄Cl, 0.003 M tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate, and 0.005 M diammonium phosphate buffer solution at pH=6.0. Conditions for HPCE are as follows: an uncoated capillary (100 μm i.d., 110 cm in length, effective length of 75 cm) with 25 kV of applied voltage, and an aqueous buffer containing 80 mM sodium borate/20 mM NaOH at pH=9.2. Surfactants were eluted within 15 min. The accuracy of both techniques was evaluated by analyzing the recovery ratio of surfactants in the mixture.