Quantitative analysis of fragrance allergens in various matrixes of cosmetics by liquid-liquid extraction and GC-MS

Fragrances are the most common chemicals in cosmetics to which people expose every day. However, the unwanted allergic reactions such as contact dermatitis caused by direct contact with fragrances may happen. In Directive 2003/15/EC of the EU, cosmetic product containing one or more of 26 fragrance allergens must be declared on the package label. In addition, commission regulation (EU) 2017/1410 amending Annexes II and III of cosmetic regulation 1223/2009 restricted fragrance chemical of methyl eugenol, and prohibited Lyral, atranol, chloroatranol to be used in cosmetic. In this study, an efficient and sensitive GC-MS method for 3 banned fragrances, 26 fragrance allergens along with restricted methyl eugenol in cosmetics was established. Sample preparation by liquid-liquid extraction was developed by testing various solvent systems to simplify traditional complex extraction methodologies. Validation of the proposed method showed good linearities in a wide concentration ranges of 0.1-10 mu g/mL. The intra-day and inter-day recoveries were between 84.4 and 119% with coefficient of variation (CV) below 13.5%. The limit of quantifications (LOQs) of 27 fragrance allergens were in the range of 2-20 mu g/g. A surveillance study consisted with 82 cosmetics was conducted, among which 31 products claimed fragrance-free. The results showed some fragrance-free claims were false. In the other hand, there were seven cosmetics labeled containing Lyral, but only four were detected. The top fragrance allergens detected in the samples were linalool, limonene, and geraniol. The analysis of fragrance allergens in cosmetics indicated that potential contact allergy related to these products should be considered, even though some fragrance allergens were from natural extracts, such as oak moss absolute.

Automated summary

The study established an efficient GC-MS method for detecting banned fragrances, allergens, and restricted chemicals in cosmetics. It found that some cosmetics claiming to be fragrance-free actually contained fragrance ingredients, highlighting the potential risk of allergies.