Project Experience: Contaminant ID in Soap

A soap bar manufacturer was encountering manufacturing problems; small red and yellow spots, which were not part of the design, kept appearing on the soap. They wanted to identify the contaminant, so they could isolate the culprit on the production line. Using TLC analysis, the spots were identified by EMSL as D&C red and yellow pigments, which are common colorants used in cosmetics. With these results, the manufacturer was able to identify and isolate the source of the contamination in the production facility.