In this application note, triclosan-contaminated samples of tap water were simulated by adding known amounts of triclosan-containing liquid hand soap to Sunnyvale tap water. The Dionex AutoTrace 280 instrument along with the high-surface-area, hydrophilic, reversed-phase cartridges were used to concentrate triclosan. The contents of the cartridge eluent were then separated on a reversed phase column using HPLC with UV detection.

The determination of fluoride and sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP) in toothpastes is important to evaluate the quality and stability of these cavity- preventing compounds. In this application note, we describe the use of electrolytic eluent generation combined with a high-capacity, hydroxide- selective, anion-exchange column—the IonPac AS18— for the determination of fluoride, MFP, and other inactive anionic ingredients in different toothpastes.

Ion chromatography (IC) with conductivity detection complements traditional HPLC-UV pharmaceutical separations. IC is especially useful when the analytes do not contain chromophores, or when it is desirable to determine chromophoric and nonchromophoric molecules in a single run. This application note addresses the use of IC for the analysis of personal care products, including compounds found in some toothpastes, hair permanent solutions, and acne medications. Several examples illustrate the variety of separations that can be achieved using IC.

The Thermo Scientific UltiMate 3000 RSLC system is applied for the analysis of triclosan in toothpaste. The separation is performed on a Thermo Scientific Acclaim C8 RSLC column, with UV detection at 218 nm.

The Thermo Scientific GC system is applied for the analysis of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol in toothpaste. The separation is performed using a Thermo Scientific TraceGOLD TG-WaxMS column with 5m SafeGuard.