Analysis of cosmetic products by GC/MS and FAB-MS: when a combined approach is successful

Fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS, both is the positive and negative-ion modes) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were applied for the rapid identification of the main ingredients of two widely employed cosmetic products, a mascara and a semipermanent hair dye, FAB-MS, on the untreated product (hair dye) or on a crude methanol extract (mascara) gives an unequivocal fingerprint of involatile constituents, ie. surfactants, anionic (cety/stearyl soaps) in mascara and cationic (polyethoxylated oleyl/linoleyl/ricinoleyl-methyl ammonium chloride) in the hair dye. GC/MS (n-hexane and chloroform extracts), detects hydrocarbons, volatile silicon compounds, perfume components, preservatives and antioxidants in mascara and fatty acids (C-8-C-18), dye solvents and 4 colouring agents: 2-amino-5-nitrophenol, HC Yellow 2 (N-2-hydroxyethyl-o-nitroaniline); O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-amino-3-nitrophenol and HC Red3, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-nitro-p-phenylendiamine in the hair dye. These results demonstrate that the combined FAB-MS and GC/MS approaches, enabling a complete picture of the constituents of the cosmetic matrix, provide an invaluable analytical tool for the quality control of cosmetics, a subject that has been rather neglected to date.