Fragranced Products Analysis | Markes International

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Analysis of fragranced goods is of great importance for manufacturers, whose reputation may rely upon the chemical composition of their products meeting consumer demands and regulatory requirements.

A vast range of fragranced consumer products may be monitored for their odours, including:

Cosmetics, toiletries, ointments and topical creams.
Cleaning products, surface polishes and coatings.
Essential oils, air fresheners and scented candles.

Profiling these products can often be a challenge, because of the presence of many VOCs at a wide range of concentrations, typically in a highly complex sample matrix.

Analysis of fragranced products

Fragrance product analysis is currently focused on three main areas:

Fragrance profiling – Understanding the factors that give rise to the fragrance which in turn provides the basis for product improvement.
Harmful chemicals – Determining levels of suspected allergens or potentially harmful chemicals in the products.
Off-odours – Understanding the origin of VOCs giving rise to off-odours or taints, and so ensuring production-line consistency of products from batch to batch.

Approaches to fragrance profiling

The ability to run a wide range of sample types is essential for profiling fragranced goods.

The use of trap-based preconcentration is also important, because it allows sensitivity for trace-level compounds to be dramatically enhanced. Moreover, systems featuring a backflushed trap enable a wider range of sorbents to be used, allowing simultaneous analysis of volatile and semi-volatile compounds from a single analytical procedure.

Sampling and preconcentration equipment for fragrance profiling from Markes International

Markes offers a range of systems suitable for the sampling and analysis of volatiles from fragranced products. The most versatile of these is the Centri sampling and concentration platform, which allows sampling using:

Headspace and headspace–trap.
HiSorb high-capacity sorptive extraction.
SPME and SPME–trap.
Tube-based thermal desorption.

Tube-based thermal desorption is also ideal for investigating releases of fragrance compounds into the indoor environment – a topic that is covered in more detail on the 'Indoor air quality' page.

Find out more by browsing the content below.