Method for the quantitative determination of corticosteroids (CCS), such as cortisone acetate, hydrocortisone acetate, cortisone, prednisone, hydrocortisone and prednisolone, in cosmetic products by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was described. The CCS was extracted from samples with dichloromethane, the extract was evaporoted, and the residue was dissolved in hexane. The hexane layer was shaked with acetonitrile, the acetonitrile layer was concentrated and the CCS determined by HPLC on a Zorbax SIL column, by using ethanol-chloroform-hexane (1 : 2 : 7) as eluting solvent and a 240 nm UV monitor for detection. The calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 0.01-0.1 μg of CCS. The recovery of CCS added to cosmetic samples was 91.0-98.2%. When this method was applied to the analysis of CCS in commercial samples, CCS could be determined without any influence of obstructive substance.