Objective To develop a method for the determination of oak moss and tree moss extracts in perfume raw materials and perfumes by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Methods The compounds of determinants were preliminary identified by the NIST MS Search 2.0 standard library (some compounds were compared with the standards).In order to determine the levels of these compounds, methyl β-orcinolcarboxylate and methyl haematommate were selected as the characteristic indicators for oak moss extract and methyl dihydroabietate was selected as the characteristic indicator for tree moss extract.

Results 55 and 30 compounds were isolated from oak moss extract and tree moss extract, respectively. The correlation coefficient of the characteristic indicators is linearly dependent in the range of 5 mg/L~100 mg/L. According to the practical sample test results, it was estimated that one perfume sample may contain oak moss extract, one perfume sample and two perfume raw materials may contain tree moss extract. The results were generally in accordance with the distinction marks on the labels.

Conclusion The method could be used for the determination of oak moss and tree moss extracts in perfume raw materials and perfumes.