VCE Chemistry – Detecting Parabens In Cosmetics

Parabens, a group of chemicals commonly utilised in various commercial cosmetic products, serve to inhibit the growth of bacteria and mould. Many cosmetic products are now marketed as ‘Paraben Free’. Why is this and are these products necessarily safer or beneficial?

In this exciting and increasingly relevant program, students will have firsthand access to state-of-the-art analytical equipment used in industry – a High- Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) instrument. Students will use micropipettes to prepare paraben standards of known concentrations and run these in the HPLC instrument. Students will construct a calibration curve and determine the quantity and type of paraben found in various cosmetics. Students will learn about the chemistry of cosmetics and how common scientific misconceptions may influence consumer behavior.