Sindoor has been considered as auspicious and is put on the centre parting of the head (maang) by married women in India. Presently, most sindoor manufacturers use synthetic materials and dyes to make these products. In the present study an attempt has been made to determine the concentration of heavy metals especially lead and mercury in the sindoor samples. These sindoor samples were purchased from the local markets in two forms, i.e. in liquid and powder forms. The heavy metals were determined using ICP-OES. The results obtained in the study has been alarming specially in case of lead which was found to be as high as 382.3ppm in some powder sindoor brands and 34.6ppm in the liquid sindoor brands. Though meant for topical application this cosmetic product with excessively high content of lead can be taken as a storehouse for heavy metal toxicity which may take a dermal route for entry in to the human system causing serious health hazards.

Keywords: Sindoor; Lead; ICP-OES; Toxicity.