Analysis of usage patterns and probabilistic risk assessment of personal care products in Korea

In daily life, many people use large amounts of personal care products (PCPs) on a regular basis. For determining the risk to consumers, product usage amount, frequency of use, and co-use patterns are essential information. In this study, the PCP usage patterns of Korean consumers were analyzed, and the data were used to develop a probabilistic risk assessment. A web-based questionnaire was used to evaluate the PCP usage patterns of consumers. A model developed by Crème Global in conjunction with the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials was used to measure the systemic exposure to PCP ingredients. The use rates of 10 PCP family are compared with reported values obtained for populations in California and Switzerland which showed some distinct characteristics of Korean consumers. The co-use combinations of the 10 families of products frequently used by consumers were analyzed in an attempt to calculate aggregate exposure. Seven ingredients were selected and the aggregate risk assessment were performed based on bootstrapping analysis. The probability of the Hazard Quotient of all seven ingredients exceeding 1 was zero. The data of the usage patterns of Korean consumers reported here will be of value in developing more precise aggregate exposure risk analysis.