Occurrence of Fragrances in the Marine Environment

Fragrances include a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic compounds with intense odor properties, medium to high volatility, and low vapor pressure. This chapter overviews the most important types of fragrances in the marine environment, where their presence in water, sediments, and/or biota is governed by their water solubility and hydrophobicity. Among the natural fragrances, essential oils (or plant-based fragrances) and natural musks (or animal-based fragrances) are considered, whereas in the case of anthropogenic fragrances, the families of the calones and the synthetic musks are extensively covered. The type and structures of the most important groups of these fragrances are presented, while discussing their occurrence and the most significant pathways in the marine media. For synthetic musks, a particular attention is paid to their potential toxicity.