 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2390  
First Edition  
2021 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
WDUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021   
  
Talc for cosmetic industry  — Specification  
 DUS 2390: 2021  
ii © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its corre ct application  
© UNBS 2021   
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Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Forew ord ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.3 Heavy metal limits  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
4.4 Microbiological limit  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  2 
5 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
6 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
7 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  3 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of fineness  ................................ ................................ ............................  4 
A.1 Procedure for material retained on 150 -micron sieve  ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
A.2 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  4 
A.3 Procedure for material retained on 90 -micron sieve  ................................ ................................ .........  4 
Annex  B (normative)  Determination of pH  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 5 
B.1 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
B.2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
Annex  C (normative)  Determination of magnesium  ................................ ................................ ......................  6 
C.1 Princ iple ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
C.2 Reagents  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  6 
C.3 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  6 
C.4 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  6 
Annex D (normative)  Loss on ignition  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  8 
D.1 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  8 
D.2 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  8 
Annex E (normative)  Determination of acid insoluble substance  ................................ ................................  9 
E.1 Reagents  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  9 
E2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  9 
Annex F (normative)  Absence of asbestos  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 10 
Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  10 
F.1 Test A: IR absorption  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  10 
F.2 Test B: X -Ray Diffraction  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  10 
F.3 Test C: Optical Microscopy  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  10 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  11 
 DUS 2390: 2021  
iv © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards ( UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Stan dardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Te chnical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standa rds adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National St andards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 310 , Cosmetics and related 
products  DRAFT UGANDA ST ANDARD  DUS 2390: 2021  
 
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  1 
 Talc for cosmetic  industry  — Specification   
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda Standard specifies the  requirements, sampling and test m ethods for  talc used in cosmetic 
industry . 
2 Normative references   
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
ISO 16212 , Cosmetics — Microbiology — Enumeration of yeast and mould  
US EAS 346 , Labelling of cosmetics  — General requirements  
US EAS 8 47-2, Cosmetics  Analytical methods — Part 2: Determination of moisture  content and volatile 
matter content  
US EAS 847 -16, Cosmetics a nalytical methods  — Part 16: Determination of lead, mercury and arsenic 
content  
US EAS 847 -24, Cosmetics  analytical methods  — Part 24: Determination of matter insoluble in boiling 
water 
US ISO 21149 , Cosmetics Microbiology Enumeration and detection of aerobic mesophilic bacteria  
US ISO 24153 , Random sampling and randomisation procedures  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purpose s of th is document, the following term and definition applies. ISO and IEC maintain 
terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://w ww.iso.org/obp  
talc 
clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg 3Si4O10(OH) 2 DUS 2390: 2021  
2 © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
Talc for cosmetic industry shall be finely powdered mineral consisting essentially of hydrat ed magnes ium 
silicate. It shall be free from gritty particles  
4.2 Specific requirements  
Talc for cosmetic industry shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein . 
Table 1  — Specific req uirements for talc for cosmetic industry  
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
I Fineness  Residue on 150 -μ sieve, % m/m, 
max.  0.1 Annex A  
Residue on 90 -μ sieve, % m/m, 
max.  2 
Ii pH of aqueous solution ,max  9.5 Annex B  
Iii Moisture and volatile matter , % m/m  0.6 US EAS 847 -2 
iv Magnesium (as MgO), max  20 Annex C  
v Loss on ignition% m/m,  max 7 Annex D  
vi acid insoluble substance ,% m/m, min  94 Annex E  
Vii Matter insoluble in boiling water, % m/m , , min  90 US EAS 847 -24 
vii Asbestos  Absent  Annex F  
4.3 Heavy metal limits  
Talc for cosmetic industry  shall comply with the limits for heav y metal contaminants in accordance with Table 
2 when tested in acco rdance with the methods specifi ed therein . 
Table 2 — Heavy metal limits for talc for cosmetic industry  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement , mg/kg, max.  Test method  
i) Lead  10 US EAS 847 -16 
ii) Arsenic  2 US EAS 847 -16 
iii) Mercury  2 US EAS 847 -16 
4.4 Microbiological limit  
Talc for cosmetic industry shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 3 when tested in 
accordance with the methods prescribed therein  
Table 3 — Microbiolo gical limits for talc for cosmetic industry  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i Total Aerobic Count, CFU/g  ,max  1000  ISO 21149  
ii Yeast and moulds count, CFU/g , max  100 ISO 16212  DUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  3 
 5 Packaging  
The product shall be packaged in suitable well -sealed containers that shall protect the contents and shall not 
cause any contamination or react with the product.  
6 Labelling  
In addition to the labelling requirements in US EAS 346, the package shall be legibly and indelibly marked with 
the following informa tion: 
product name as  “Talc  for cosmetic industry ”,  
7 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with  US ISO 24153  DUS 2390: 2021  
4 © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of fineness  
A.1 Procedure for m aterial retained on 150 -micron  sieve 
Place about 10 g of the material, accurately weighed, in 150 -micron sieve and wash by means of slow stream 
of running tap water and finally with fine stream from a wash bottle until all the material that can pass through 
the sieve has passed. Let the water drain from the sieve and then dry  the sieve containing the residue on a 
steam bath. Carefully transfer the residue, on to a tared watch glass, dry it to constant mass at 105 °C ± 2°C 
and weigh.  
A.2 Calculation  
Material retained on the specified si eve, percent by mass=  
 
where  
M1 mass in g of the residue retained on the sieve, and  
M2 mass in g of the material take n for the test  
A.3 Procedure for material r etaine d on 90 -micron s ieve 
Carry out the test as given  under A.1, using a fresh quantity of the material and 90 -micron sieve. Calcu late in 
the manner given under A.2  DUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex  B 
(normative)  
 
Determination of pH  
B.1 Apparatus  
pH m eter — equipped with glass electrode.  
B.2 Procedure  
Boil about 10 g of the material, accurately weighed, wit h 50 ml of water for 30 minutes, adding water from time 
to time to maintain approximately the original volume of the liquid. Cool and filter. Determine the  pH of the 
filtrate within 5 minutes of filtration  DUS 2390: 2021  
6 © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  C 
(normative)  
 
Determination of magnesium  
C.1 Principle  
On fusion with anhydrous sodium carbonate, magnesium silicate gets conve rted into magnesium oxide which 
is then titrated against Standard EDTA solution.  
C.2 Reagents  
C.2.1 Concentrated Hydroch loric Acid  
C.2 2 Strong Ammonia Solution  
C.2.3  Anhydrous Sodium Carbonate  
C.2.4 Standard EDTA Solution — 0.05 M.  
C.2.5 Strong Ammonia — Dissolve 6.75 g of ammonium chloride in 74 ml of strong Ammonia solution and 
dilute to 100 ml with water.  
C.3 Proce dure  
C.3.1  Weigh accurately a clean, dry platinum crucible containing approximately about 0.2 g of anhydrous 
sodium carbonate. Weigh in accurately about 0.12 g of the talc sample, followed by a further quantity of 
approximate 0.4 g of anhydrous sodium car bonate.  
C.3.2  Fuse the mixture by heating the crucible with the lid over a flame for about 30 minutes. Extract the 
fused mass with instalments of about 3 -4 ml of concentrate. Hydrochloric acid (crush the fused mass with a 
glass rod to facilitate the extra ction) and transfer quantitatively to 150 -ml beaker.  
C.3.3  Wash the crucible and the lid with water and transfer to the beaker. Dissolve by stirring and gentle 
crushing with the glass rod and boil, if required for complete digestion.  
C.3.4  Cool and neutra lise by slowly adding ammonia solution till a white precipitate appears. Add a little 
excess of ammonia.  
C.3.5  Cool and filter through a wet filter paper into 500 -ml conical flask. Give washings with distilled water. 
Add 10 ml - 12 ml strong Ammonia — Ammo nium Chloride solution, a pinch of solochrome black indicator and 
titrate against standard 0.05 M EDTA solution to a blue end point.  
C.4 Calculation  
Magnesium as MgO ,Percent by mass=
  
where  DUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  7 
 V volume of 0.05 M EDTA solution,  
M molarity of EDTA solution, and 
W weight of talc taken for fusion in g.  DUS 2390: 2021  
8 © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex D  
(normative)  
 
Loss on ignition  
D.1 Procedure  
Weigh accurately about 4 g of the material in a tared crucible and ignite at red heat to constant mass. Cool in 
a desiccator and weigh.  
D.2 Calculation  
Loss of ignition, Percent by mass  =
  
where 
M1 Mass in g of sample taken for the test.  
M2 Mass in g of the sample after ignition  DUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  9 
 Annex E 
(normative ) 
 
Determination of acid insoluble substance  
E.1 Reagents  
E.1.1 Dilute Hydrochloric acid 
E.1.2 Dilute sulphuric a cid  
E2 Procedure  
Weigh 2 g of the material and digest with 40 ml of dilute hydrochloric acid for fifteen minutes. Filter, evaporate 
the filtrate, to the residue add 0. 1 ml of sulphuric acid and ignite to constant weight.   DUS 2390: 2021  
10 © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex F 
(normative)  
 
Absence of asbestos  
Procedure  
Proceed a s directed test A of test B. If either test is positive  perform  test C. 
F.1 Test A: IR abso rption 
The IR absorption spectrum of a potassium bromide dis persion of Talc at the a bsorption band at 758 ± 1 cm –
1, using  scale expansio n, may indicate the presence of tremolite or chlorite.  If the absorption band remains 
after ignition of the su bstance at 850° for at least 30 min, it indicates the pres ence of tremolite. In the range 
600 cm–1 to 650 cm–1 using scale expansion, any ab sorption band or sho ulder may indicate the presence of 
serpentines.  
F.2 Test B: X-Ray Diffraction  
Use the following conditions  Cu Kα monochromatic 40 kV radiation, 24 –30 mA; incident slit is set at 1°; the 
detection slit is set at 0.2°; the goniometer speed, the scanning range is 10° –13° 2Θ and 24° –26° 2Θ; is not 
oriented. Prepare a random sample, and place on the sample h older. Pack and smooth its surface with a 
polished glass microscope slide. Record the dif fractograms: the presence of amphiboles is detected by 
diffraction peak at 10.5 ± 0.1° 2Θ, and the presence of serpentines is detected by diffraction peaks at nm 24.3 
± 0.1° 2Θ to 12.1 ± 0.1° 2Θ.  
F.3 Test C: Optical Microscopy  
The prese nce of asbestos is shown if there is a range of length to width ratios of 20:1 to 100:1, or higher for 
fibers longer than 5 µm; if there i s a capability of splitting into very solution thin fibrils; and if there are two or 
more of the following criteria:  
a) parallel fibers occurring in bundles,  
b) solutions. fiber bundles displaying frayed  ends,  
c) fibers in form of thin needles, an d 
d) matted masses of individ ual fibers and/or fibers showing curvature  
 DUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  11 
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 1462:1985, Talc for Cosmetic Industry  
[2] USP 29-NF24 
 WDUS 2390: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  13 
 Certification marking  
Prod ucts that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder.  This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product i s an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually  checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
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