Fragrances – secret ingredients and health risks?

All cosmetics and personal care products in Australia must list all intentionally added ingredients on the product label, in English. Unless this is not possible due to the product’s size, shape or nature, or the product is a free sample or tester.³ This is enforced by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The presence of fragrance ingredients in any cosmetic or personal care product must be shown by including the word ‘fragrance’, ‘fragrances’, ‘parfum’ or ‘parfums’, or by listing all the ingredients in the fragrance or fragrances. There is no legal requirement that each individual component of a fragrance be listed on the product label. This is common practice around the world.

So, does this sound like legalised secrecy? Read on…

Because many consumers want to know what’s in the products they use, the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) published the Transparency List.⁴ This contains over 3000 fragrance ingredients that are used around the world. 

This is a great solution to providing consumers with the information they want whilst protecting details of specific fragrance formulas, which can take considerable time and financial investment to develop.

But…are these ingredients safe?

All fragrance ingredients on the IFRA Transparency List have been evaluated for safety and have passed the IFRA safety standards.

IFRA Transparency List: The ‘perfumer’s palette’

‘It represents a “snapshot” of ingredients used by fragrance companies around the world. This includes ingredients used in minimal quantities or only in certain countries or regions.’⁴

The Transparency List is formally recognised by AICIS, the Australian regulator of industrial chemicals (that is, the ingredients in cosmetic products). That means that a fragrance blend can be declared for ingredients that are not listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals, if they are on the IFRA Transparency List. This demonstrates trust in the IFRA safety assessment process – read more in this below. 

The IFRA Safety Standards⁵, which underpin the Transparency List, are a set of guidelines to ensure the safe use and quality of fragrance ingredients. They apply to fragrance ingredients used in all types of products including fragrances (perfumes, colognes etc) and fragranced personal care and household products.

IFRA Standards can prohibit or restrict specific fragrance ingredients, or set purity requirements. The standards are based on scientific research and risk assessments. These are conducted by the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), the international scientific authority for fragrance ingredient safety, and are verified by independent experts. The assessment considers possible effects on the skin, including skin irritation and sensitisation, the effect of sunlight on the ingredient, and toxicity to body systems.

Can we trust the RIFM? Who are these independent experts, you ask?

The Expert Panel for Fragrance Safety is an independent and international group of dermatologists, pathologists, environmental scientists and toxicologists. It chooses its own members and reviews and must approve all RIFM assessments before they can be published.  

When warranted by the data, the Expert Panel instructs IFRA to issue a Standard either restricting or banning a fragrance material.⁵ To date, over 250 substances have been banned or restricted.

Most people can use fragrances without any problems. But some people can be sensitive (or allergic) to certain substances, whether in food, skin care, the environment or elsewhere.  

If you have a reaction to a particular fragrance, stop using it. You may wish to seek the advice of your GP or contact the product manufacturer.