This study systematically investigated the residue levels and distribution characteristics of phenol in commercially available children's cosmetics. A total of 118 batches of children's cosmetics were randomly collected from e-commerce platforms in China. Phenol residues were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The overall detection rate was 24.6%, with residues mainly distributed in the range of 0.20~2.0 mg/kg. A child-specific health risk assessment using the margin of safety (MoS) approach was performed with exposure parameters adjusted for children (daily application amounts derived from SCCS guidelines by body surface area adjustment; dermal absorption rate: 97.6% worst-case; body weights: 9.65 kg for infants 0~3 years for skincare products, 32 kg for school-age children 6~12 years for makeup products). All MoS values for positive samples substantially exceeded the SCCS safety threshold of 100, indicating no significant health risk to children under normal use conditions. However, the detection rate of 24.6% highlights the need for continued monitoring. This study provides baseline occurrence data for phenol residues in children's cosmetics in the Chinese market.

Dengming Ke, Juyuan Huo, Wenxin Li, Anhong Feng. Occurrence and Preliminary Health Risk Assessment of Phenol Residues in Children’s Cosmetics. The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 4: 33-38. https://doi.org/10.25236/FSST.2026.080406.

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