Forensic analysis of cosmetic face powders.
详细信息
文摘
Cosmetic face powders are widely used and a large amount is applied to the facial region, thus making it possible to be transferred during the course of a crime. Therefore, powders have potential to be used as forensic evidence. In such a case, it may be useful to determine if two powder samples originated from a common source. The purpose of this project is to determine if various samples of cosmetic face powder can be differentiated from one another.;In this work, three analytical techniques were selected to differentiate between pairs of cosmetic face powder samples. The chosen techniques included scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Each method analyzes different components of the face powders, and the data are thus complementary.;Twenty-seven samples were analyzed in this project, and each of the possible pairs of samples was compared in order to evaluate the discrimination ability of each technique. The individual techniques and the combined techniques achieve a high level of discrimination between face powder samples, displaying the usefulness of cosmetic face powders in forensic investigations.