Detection and measurement of N-nitrosodiethanolamine: old challenges and advanced approaches

Nitrosamines, as a by-product in cosmetics and health products, are an important family of contaminants in these products due to their carcinogenic effects. Various types of compounds are included in the category of nitrosamines, among which N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA) is one of the most abundant in cosmetics. Today, the growing trend of the cosmetic industry and the increasing production of it, make essential quality control and measurement of compounds such as NDELA in these products. A variety of instrumental chemical analyses, including chromatography techniques are commonly used for quality control of cosmetics and health products. Considering the direct relationship between the consumption of cosmetics and the health level of society, the quality control of all these products using chemical and chromatographic techniques due to their complexity and time-consuming nature is challenging for responsible organizations in this field. Therefore, in recent years, to solve these challenges, several methods based on advanced technologies have been developed to control and monitor the safety of many cosmetic products with appropriate sensitivity and specificity at a suitable time. In the present study, after reviewing the common techniques for measuring NDELA and its challenges, new methods, microextraction techniques, and nanosensors, as alternatives.