Development of Alpha-Arbutin Certified Reference Material

Using high purity α-arbutin reagent as raw material, the reference material was further identified and confirmed by MS/MS, IR, UV-vis, nuclear magnetic resonance, melting point, optical rotation, etc.. The chromatographic purity of α-arbutin reference material was determined by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence detector (FLD). Moisture and ignition residue determination was carried out according to the guideline specified in Volume IV of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China 2020 Edition. The residual solvents were determined according to the procedure specified in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics. The purity of α-arbutin reference material was then calculated by the mass balance method and the certified value of α-arbutin is 99.87% with an expanded uncertainty of 2.46% (k=2). The homogeneity and short-term stability tests were carried out with HPLC-FLD after packaging. The results showed that the α-arbutin reference material has the characteristics of high purity, accurate value, and stability, which can provide technical support to cosmetics quality and safety tests in China.