Synthetic Musks: A Class of Commercial Fragrance Additives in Personal Care Products (PCPs) Causing Concern as Emerging Contaminants

Abstract

Synthetic musks (SMs) are promising fragrance additives used in personal care products (PCPs). The widespread presence of SMs in environmental media remains a serious risk because of their harmful effects. Recently, the environmental hazards of SMs have been widely reported in various environmental samples including those from coastal and marine regions. This paper provides a systematic review of SMs, including their classification, synthetic routes, analysis and occurrence in environmental samples, fate and toxicity in the environment, as well as the associated risk assessment and pollution control. Research gaps and future opportunities were also identified with the hope of raising interest in this topic.

Keywords: Environmental impacts; Environmental risk assessment; Marine organisms; PCPs; Synthetic musks; Synthetic routes.