Abstract: A method for the determination of three active constituents of ginseng (ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1 and ginsenoside Re) and two active constituents of glycyrrhizae (glycyrrhetic acid and glabridin) in hair growth cosmetics was developed by strong anion exchange-solid phase extraction (SPE) combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF MS). The sample was extracted by methanol through ultrasonic wave, and purified by SPE (MAX, 500 g/6 L) cartridge. Chromatographic separation was conducted on an UPLC HSS T3 (2.1 m×100 mm×1.8 μm) column with gradient elution using methanol and 0.002% fomic acid solution as mobile phases. MS analysis was set in electrospray ionization operated in negative mode. The experiment conditions of SPE (adsorbing materials and washing solvents) and UPLC-Q-TOF MS (mobile phases, ionization mode and mass spectrometric parameters) were optimized. The results demonstrate that the method shows good linearity in the concentration range of 5200 μg/L, with correlation coefficients no less than 0.999 for the five investigated analytes. The limits of detection are in the range of 0.03-0.1 mg/kg (S/N=3). The average recoveries in sample matrix of cream and paste shampoo are from 71.9% to 94.2% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 15.4% (n=6). High resolution Q-TOF MS gives accurate mass measurement for identification of the target analytes from complicated matrices, with mass errors below 5×10^-6. The method is suitable for the determination of ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Re, glycyrrhetic acid and glabridin in hair growth cosmetics, particularly for those containing high content of surfactants and greases.