Screening Perfumes for Hazardous Substances Using Thin-Layer Chromatography

To better analyze perfumes for hazards, Gertrud Morlock and Julia Heil from Justus Liebig University Giessen (Giessen, Germany) have created a new chromatography-based approach for conducting non-target chemical safety screenings. Their findings were published in the Journal of Chromatography A (1).

Perfume formulations are an industry that is typically secretive due to industrial competition; as such, what makes up these lifestyle products is protected information across the world, being inaccessible to regulatory authorities and consumers. The law does not currently require fragrance ingredients to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration prior to going on the market, only saying that they must be safe when used according to labeled directions (2).

Only main fragrances are roughly listed as perfume ingredients. Apart from non-volatile organic compounds, up to several hundred volatile compounds can make up a single fragrance. In fact, according to the International Fragrance Association, as of 2022, there are 3619 ingredients that can be used in perfumes, 3224 of which are used for creating fragrances, while 395 are used to support the functionality and durability of a fragrance compound (3).

According to the researchers, non-target chemical safety screening of entire perfume products for known and unknown hazardous compounds has not yet been possible. In current analytical strategies, both unknown hazardous compounds and trace-level amounts of very strong hazardous compounds are overlooked. Toxicity data is not available for most chemicals, and typically, only a few select ingredients studied, and only one biological endpoint being used, at a time.

To close gaps in the hazard-related analysis of perfumes, the scientists developed a sustainable non-target chemical safety screening process. Hazard-related profiling of entire perfumes was developed using high-performance thin-layer chromatography effect-directed analysis (HPTLC–UV/Vis/FLD–EDA). 42 perfumes were collected randomly and screened (without any sample preparation) for 10 different adverse effects: genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, neurotoxicity/-modulation, and endocrine-disrupting (aromatase-inhibiting, anti-/estrogenic, and anti-/androgenic) activities. The researchers hypothesized that using such a non-target chemical safety screening of entire perfume products does not overlook hazardous compounds; in fact, they believe such an approach can prioritize known and unknown hazardous compounds, can cope with different perfume matrices, and shows sufficient detectability. Furthermore, the approach is fast, cost-efficient, sustainable, and compliant with replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal testing.

Many hazardous compounds were detected in all 42 perfumes, regardless of their cost or gender-specific use. As an example, the half-maximal effective dose (EC50) of genotoxicity was 1.3 µL perfume and the half-maximal aromatase inhibitory dose (IC50) was 11 nL perfume. One 100-µL spray shot of perfume on the skin exceeded the EC50 by 77-fold and the IC50 by 9090-fold. All 42 perfumes revealed genotoxic, cytotoxic, antibacterial, neurotoxic/-modulating, or endocrine-disrupting compounds.

This research is believed to be a significant step forward in understanding the potential hazards of perfume production. The developed hazard-related profiling can empower authorities to address the lack of underregulation by perfume companies.

“Transforming analysis to proactive safety screening and raising awareness through new analytical results,” the researchers wrote, “is driving the change toward sustainable and safe perfume products.”

This push can encourage authorities and producers alike to act ethically in perfume production and regulation, thus better protecting consumer health and nature.

References

(1) Morlock, G. E.; Heil, J. Fast Unmasking Hazards of Safe Perfumes. J. Chromatogr. A 2025, 1754, 465959. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2025.465959

(2) Fragrances in Cosmetics. FDA 2022. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/fragrances-cosmetics (accessed 2025-6-13)

(3) The IFRA Transparency List. IFRA 2023. https://ifrafragrance.org/priorities/ingredients/ifra-transparency-list (accessed 2025-6-12)