Essential Oils: Analytical Methods to Control the Quality of Perfumes

Cosmetic products, including perfumes, are regulated by a single law concerning important aspects, such as composition or labeling, in order to protect public health. A revision on the regulatory aspects for fragrance chemicals in cosmetics and household products is exposed here. Quality control of both, commercial perfumes and raw materials, is important for perfume manufacturers to assure that the finished perfume is the one that was formulated. On the other hand, analytical methods are necessary to assure, for safety purposes, that there are no undesired or banned compounds present in the finished product. Methods for perfume analysis are compiled and revised with special emphasis on the potentially allergenic fragrance-related substances and some other groups of substances such as musks and phthalates, being some of them restricted or forbidden.