Analytical Methods to Analyze Fragrances in Environmental Matrices

Fragrances have been used since ancient times to create pleasant scents and make products more attractive to consumers. They are one of the main components of perfumes and daily care products. However, the massive use of cosmetics, personal care, and household products implies that many fragrances can continuously enter the different environment compartments, mainly through municipal sewage discharge. Several of these compounds, such as synthetic musks, have become a concern due to their potential ecotoxicological and bioaccumulative effects. Therefore, the development of analytical methodologies capable of determining trace concentrations of these emerging pollutants in different environmental matrices, including water bodies as well as air and solid matrices, is mandatory. Due to their ubiquity, their analysis is challenging and sample preparation is a crucial step, greatly influencing the time, accuracy, reliability, and cost of the analysis. This chapter aims to overview sample preparation strategies, including the most recent advances for fragrances, with a special focus on two families: synthetic musks and fragrance allergens. Current trends such as the substitution of traditional techniques by miniaturized approaches for sustainable and green methodologies are highlighted. In addition, the novelty on determination techniques and the last trends in mass spectrometry, including high-resolution mass spectrometry are also discussed.