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Review
. 2025 Jul 24;14(15):2284.
doi: 10.3390/plants14152284.

The Role of LC-MS in Profiling Bioactive Compounds from Plant Waste for Cosmetic Applications: A General Overview

Gilda D'Urso  1 , Alessandra Capuano  1 , Francesca Fantasma  2 , Maria Giovanna Chini  2 , Vincenzo De Felice  2 , Gabriella Saviano  2 , Gianluigi Lauro  1 , Agostino Casapullo  1 , Giuseppe Bifulco  1 , Maria Iorizzi  2
Affiliations
Review

The Role of LC-MS in Profiling Bioactive Compounds from Plant Waste for Cosmetic Applications: A General Overview

Gilda D'Urso et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

The agro-industrial sector produces large amounts of by-products that have a high environmental impact, so it has become essential to recover food waste at all levels. This is because it often contains bioactive molecules that can be a valuable source of new products such as animal feed, biopolymers, or products for human use, (e.g., cosmetics and nutraceuticals) due to its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Advanced analytical methodologies such as liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are crucial for the characterisation of bioactive chemicals in these waste materials. LC-MS enables both targeted and untargeted metabolomic approaches, facilitating the identification and quantification of a wide range of secondary metabolites, including polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. The choice of extraction methodology is essential for the precise identification and quantification of these metabolites. This study provides an overview of LC-MS as an effective tool for analysing complex extracts derived from plant waste, discussing both methodological aspects and typical bioactive metabolites identified, and offering examples of their potential applications in cosmeceutics.

Keywords: LC-MS analysis; bioactive compounds; cosmetic applications; metabolomics; plant waste.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Valorisation of agro-industrial by-products through their integration into advanced cosmetic formulations, contributing to waste minimisation and sustainable resource utilisation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of targeted and untargeted metabolomics workflows.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Use of bioactive compounds from vegetable and fruit waste.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Conventional and unconventional extraction methods.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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