Abstract
Essential oils are highly appreciated by the cosmetics industry because they have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, among others. Since essential oils are natural products, their inclusion in cosmetic formulations is a common practice. Currently, low-quality and/or adulterated essential oils can be found on the market; therefore, analytical methods for control are required. Raman spectroscopy is a versatile technique that can be used for quality control tasks; the portability of modern devices expand the analytical possibilities also to in situ measurements. Fifteen essential oils of interest for the cosmetics industry were measured using a handheld Raman spectrometer, and the assignment of the main bands observed in their average spectra was proposed. In most cases, it is possible to distinguish the essential oils by a simple visual inspection of their characteristic Raman bands. However, for essential oils extracted from closely-related vegetable species and containing the same main component in a very high proportion, the visual inspection of the spectra may be not enough, and the application of chemometric methods is suggested. Characteristic Raman bands for each essential oil can be used to both identify the essential oils and detect adulterations.
Highlights
The cosmetics industry is, probably, one of the most profitable industries worldwide
We present the average Raman spectra of fifteen commercial essential oils, which were compared to each other in order to evaluate the capability of Raman spectroscopy for the distinction of essential oils
Comparing the spectra to each other, most often, the differences are visible by the naked eye, but in other cases, the differences are imperceptible by a fast inspection of the spectra
Summary
The cosmetics industry is, probably, one of the most profitable industries worldwide. Everyone can intuitively understand the meaning of the word “cosmetics”, but it may be difficult to formulate a universal definition of “cosmetics” and, in some cases, to classify certain products as cosmetics or medicinal products. Independent of the definitions and the interpretations assumed by different countries concerning cosmetic products, there is a trend in the cosmetics industry to produce new products having certain medicinal effects. A skin cream can be formulated with the intention to improve the appearance and, at the same time, act against irritations and/or pathogenic organisms. Another common trend is the use of natural ingredients as raw materials instead of synthetic components. There is a marked preference for natural products, resulting in the present good market positioning of products containing natural ingredients
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