EU Fragrance Allergens

The vast majority of fragrance materials are safe for consumers to use. However, as with so many things in our world, there are a small number that may not be suited for all consumers. Some people have allergies which are an immune response when exposed to a material. Other people that have not developed an allergy will have no response. Governmental Regulatory Bodies and IFRA closely monitor developments in the marketplace and scientific research to identify if a fragrance material should either be completely avoided or used below specific levels that would reduce the probability of allergies developing.

Cosmetic regulations require companies to disclose all ingredients within their personal care products on the package label. However, the fragrance is to be labeled as “fragrance” or “parfum”. The regulations in the EU take a further step to require manufacturers to also include 26 specific fragrance raw materials (the “26 EU allergens”) in the ingredient statement if present at or above 0.001% for leave-on products and 0.01% for rinse-off products (EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 Annex III).

While not required outside the EU we have chosen to follow this practice on all our personal care product packaging beginning in 2022. Transition of all our ingredient statements to this expanded format will take some time. If you are concerned about specific fragrance materials or have questions about the updated ingredient statements, please contact us to obtain additional information. Please reference the “EU Fragrance Allergens List” for a complete listing of these materials.