Determination of musk ambrette, musk xylol, and musk ketone in fragrance products by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection

A gas chromatographic method using a capillary column with electron capture detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of 3 nitromusk fragrance ingredients: musk ambrette (MA), musk xylol (MX), and musk ketone (MK), in fragrance products. The accuracy of the method was determined by recovery of each nitromusk from fortified fragrance products at 3 different concentrations. Recoveries ranged from 95.0 to 105.9% for MA, 88.4 to 102.5% for MX, and 93.7 to 103.7% for MK. The method was used to survey 30 fragrance products purchased in the Washington, DC, area for each of the nitromusks. MA was not found in any of the products. MX was found in 9 products at levels ranging from 0.001 to 0.22%; MK was found in 8 products at levels ranging from 0.023 to 0.45%. The presence of MX and MK was confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in many of the fragrance products.