Using thermal desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to rapidly determine antimicrobial preservatives in cosmetics.

Rationale: Characterization and quantification of permitted preservatives are important inspections to prevent the overuse of preservatives in authentic formulations. However, the complexity of sample matrices makes preservative determination in cosmetics a tedious process. A rapid analytical strategy to identify preservatives would insure large numbers of products are in compliance with government regulations.

2-(2H-Benzotriazol-2-yl)-6-[(dicyclo-hexyl-amino)-meth-yl]-4-(2,4,4-trimethyl-pentan-2-yl)phenol.

In the title mol-ecule, C(33)H(48)N(4)O, the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the benzotriazole ring system [maximun deviation = 0.038 (2) Å] and the phenol ring is 16.6 (2)°.