Evaluation, using Salmonella typhimurium, of the mutagenicity of seven chemicals found in cosmetics.

Six chemicals used as ingredients in cosmetics were evaluated for mutagenic activity in Salmonella typhimurium. Two of these ingredients, trans-4-phenyl-3-butene-2-one and 2,2',4,4'-tetrahydroxybenzophenone, were mutagenic in the presence of rat liver S-9 towards strains TA100 and TA1537 respectively. An impurity found in some cosmetic products, N-nitrosodiethanolamine, was mutagenic to S. typhimurium strains TA1535 and TA100 in the presence of hamster-liver S-9 but not rat-liver S-9.