Cosmetics products in India are regulated under the Drugs and cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules 1945 and Labeling Declarations by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). BIS sets the standards for cosmetics for the products listed under Schedule ‘S’ of the Drugs and cosmetics Rules 1945 .

Nickel (Ni) is a natural element of the earth's crust and, therefore, small amounts of it are found in food, water, soil, and air.

Chromium is found naturally in rocks, plants, soil and volcanic dust, and animals. The most common forms of chromium that occur in natural water in the environment are trivalent chromium (chromium III) and hexavalent chromium (chromium VI). Chromium III is far less toxic than chromium VI.

Mercury (Hg) is considered one of the top ten chemicals or group of chemicals of major public health concern by WHO. Mercury is found in both inorganic and organic forms in cosmetics. Intentional use of mercury salts is prohibited in non eye care cosmetics in several countries such as the US and the EU and India.

Acceptable daily intake (ADI) is commonly defined as the amount of a chemical to which a person can be exposed on a daily basis over an extended period of time (usually a lifetime) without suffering any deleterious effect.

Use of cosmetic products is increasing rapidly in India and various chemicals including the heavy metals are used in the cosmetics which pose health risk to consumers. The present study was conducted to determine heavy metals - lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel in lipsticks, lip-balm and anti-ageing creams and mercury in fairness creams available in the Delhi market. The results were compared with the available standards.