Diversity, Antimicrobial Susceptibility patterns, and Biofilm Formation of Staphylococcus spp. in Cosmetic Products in Western Saudi Arabia

Cosmetics have become essential for skincare, makeup, and hair care. Cosmetic products can be contaminated during production and application. This study investigated the staphylococci contamination parameters (virulence factors, diversity, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns) in cosmetic products in Western Saudi Arabia.

A total of 250 cosmetic products were purchased from local outlets. Staphylococci prevalence was tested through standard microbiological culturing methods, whereas the Vitek-2 compact system confirmed the presence of different staphylococci genera and revealed its antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Moreover, PCR protocols were performed to detect virulence factors encoding genes.

The data revealed a low prevalence of Staphylococcus spp. in cosmetics (10.4%, n = 26). Lipstick, face powder, and blusher samples comparatively presented higher contamination rates. Staphylococcus xyloses, S. epidermidis, and S. aureus were among the identified species. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns demonstrated benzylpenicillin resistance in most of the isolates (61.53%), whereas oxacillin and erythromycin resistance was noted in 26.9% of isolates. Contrarily, the isolates were not resistant to tigecycline, gentamicin, nitrofurantoin, or linezolid. Approximately 19.2% of the isolates exhibited resistance to multiple antimicrobial classes, indicating the presence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from lipstick and concealer. Biofilm formation-encoding genes (icaA and icaB) were detected in 50% (4) of the potentially pathogenic isolates, whereas icaR, icaC, and icaD genes were noted in 37.5% (3) of the isolates. The mecA resistance gene was detected in 37.5% (3, n = 8) of Staphylococcus spp. isolates..

Poor quality cosmetic products may act as a medium for the transmission of potentially pathogenic, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. The results necessitate proper storage and handling of cosmetic products to avoid microbial contaminations.