Corticosteroids are the most widely used class of anti-inflammatory drugs. Their clinical effectiveness in the treatment of dermatological disorders is related to their vasoconstrictive, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and anti-proliferative effects.

Despite their benefit in the therapy of inflammatory diseases, topical corticosteroids are associated with several side effects that limit their use. The use of topical corticosteroids is allowed for medicinal purposes with a period of use not more than 14 days and under the supervision of a doctor.

The misuse of corticosteroids in cosmetic products is as a depigmentation agent that can produce a brightening or whitening effect on the skin.

The occurrence and severity of the side effects are depending on the duration of use, dosage, and specific drug used, along with individual patient variability. However, the highest risk factor seems to be prolonged use.

How SIG can help

SIG Laboratory can perform corticosteroids analysis on a wide variety of cosmetics products. We also ascertain whether the corticosteroid are detected and at the appropriate levels, as specified by national and international regulations.

The types of corticosteroids compound that can be tested in the SIG laboratory are:

• Betamethasone
• Dexamethasone
• Hydrocortisone 21 Acetate
• Triamcinolone Acetonide
• Betamethasone-17-Valerate

Method of Analysis

HPLC is a technique that we offer to you for determining corticosteroid in your cosmetics products with a UV-Vis detector as a detection system.