Quantification of furocoumarins in hydroalcoholic fragrances by a liquid chromatography-high resolution/accurate mass method

Furocoumarins are secondary metabolites that occur in various plant species used as ingredients in fragrances and cosmetics. Those compounds have received an increased interest in those matrices since they are known to induce photosensitization and to have potential carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic effects. To date, there are no restricted limits regarding these compounds; however, some committees proposed following seven targeted compounds at low level concentration in finished cosmetic products (<= 1 mg/l). This implies the need for a robust and specific analytical method to control and determine their concentrations in essential oils or more complex matrices such as fragrances. An innovative RP-HPLC high-resolution/accurate-mass MS method based on Orbitrap technology was developed to quantify seven furocoumarins in fragrances in the range 0.01-1 mg/l. This method was developed and validated according to accuracy profile methodology. Accurate mass and high resolution provides a robust and highly specific approach to quantify the compounds and minimize tedious sample preparation. The method was finally used to quantify more than 50 perfumes (eaux de toilette, eaux de parfum, extraits). Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.