High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Applied to Essential Oils: Analytical Approaches in the Literature

Abstract Essential oils are complex mixtures composed mainly of volatile compounds with significant biological activity and industrial value, obtained from natural plant-derived raw materials by steam distillation, mechanical processes applied to the epicarp of citrus fruits, or dry distillation. Although qualitative and quantitative analyses of essential oils are often performed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS), the high temperatures involved in this technique may induce structural alterations or catalytic decompositions, which have encouraged the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a promising alternative. However, no scoping review has yet been published mapping the available studies on this topic. This study aimed to identify and describe the scientific literature reporting the use of HPLC in the analysis and separation of essential oils, with emphasis on the essential oils investigated, the compounds identified, the analytical approaches employed, and the methodological parameters reported. A literature search was conducted across the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Medline databases, yielding 605 records, of which 42 met the inclusion criteria. These studies, published between 2001 and 2025, reported the analysis of 51 essential oils using HPLC. Most studies (78.57%) employed qualitative and/or quantitative analysis with ultraviolet absorption, mass spectrometry, fluorescence, or electrochemical detectors. Additionally, 14.29% used preparative or semi-preparative chromatography, 9.52% conducted analytical method validation, and 2.38% employed ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). This study highlights HPLC as a versatile tool for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of essential oils and for separating compounds or fractions with potential biological activity. Graphical Abstract High-performance liquid chromatography applied to essential oils: analytical approaches in the literature. Image elements designed using resources from Flaticon.com