Body & Beauty / Compounds / Nano-platinum (PGM nanoparticles)

Nano-platinum (PGM nanoparticles) on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Emitted from catalytic converters (0.02-5 ng/m³ roadside air). Accumulates in roadside soil, dust, and stormwater. Bulk platinum is biologically inert but nano-form shows catalytic activity in biological systems — both antioxidant (ROS scavenging) and pro-oxidant depending on size and surface chemistry. Used in luxury skincare (La Prairie, claims antioxidant). Occupational exposure in automotive/jewelry industry.

What is nano-platinum (pgm nanoparticles)?

The IUPAC name is platinum.

Also known as: PLATINUM, 7440-06-4, Platinum Black, Platinum sponge.

IUPAC name: platinum
CAS number: 7440-06-4
Molecular formula: Pt
Molecular weight: 195.08 g/mol
SMILES: [Pt]
PubChem CID: 23939

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Emitted from catalytic converters (0.02-5 ng/m³ roadside air). Accumulates in roadside soil, dust, and stormwater. Bulk platinum is biologically inert but nano-form shows catalytic activity in biological systems — both antioxidant (ROS scavenging) and pro-oxidant depending on size and surface chemistry. Used in luxury skincare (La Prairie, claims antioxidant). Occupational exposure in automotive/jewelry industry.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Nano-platinum (PGM nanoparticles). The classifications differ — that's the data.

Agency	Year	Classification	Notes
EU	2013	Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 — nano-Pt must be notified to CPNP if used in cosmetics
OSHA	2024	PEL 0.002 mg/m³ (soluble Pt salts); metallic Pt nanoparticles not specifically regulated

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter nano-platinum (pgm nanoparticles)

Cosmetics
Automotive
Supplement
Industrial

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Nano-platinum (PGM nanoparticles):

Palladium nanoparticles
Trade-offs: Less thermally stable. Susceptible to sulfur poisoning. Different selectivity for some reactions.

Relative cost: 0.3-0.5× platinum
Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria)
Trade-offs: Lower catalytic activity. Potential pulmonary toxicity at high exposure. Self-regenerating redox properties.

Relative cost: 0.01× platinum

Frequently asked questions

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Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →