Full evaporation dynamic headspace in combination with selectable one-dimensional/two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the determination of suspected fragrance allergens in cosmetic products

Suspected fragrance allergens were determined in cosmetic products using a combination of full evaporation-dynamic headspace (FEDHS) with selectable one-dimensional/two-dimensional GC–MS. The full evaporation dynamic headspace approach allows the non-discriminating extraction and injection of both apolar and polar fragrance compounds, without contamination of the analytical system by high molecular weight non-volatile matrix compounds. The method can be applied to all classes of cosmetic samples, including water containing matrices such as shower gels or body creams. In combination with selectable 1D/2D GC–MS, consisting of a dedicated heart-cutting GC–MS configuration using capillary flow technology (CFT) and low thermal mass GC (LTM-GC), a highly flexible and easy-to-use analytical solution is offered. Depending on the complexity of the perfume fraction, analyses can be performed in one-dimensional GC–MS mode or in heart-cutting two-dimensional GC–MS mode, without the need of hardware reconfiguration. The two-dimensional mode with independent temperature control of the first and second dimension column is especially useful to confirm the presence of detected allergen compounds when mass spectral deconvolution is not possible.

► We applied selectable 1D/2D GC–MS for the allergen analysis in perfume samples. ► No hardware changes are needed when switching between 1D and 2D analysis. ► Full evaporation DHS is used for samples containing non-volatile matrix compounds. ► A single instrument configuration is used for 4 classes of cosmetic samples.