IFRA to publish list of fragrance ingredients used in consumer goods
The list will be posted on the association’s website although it is not necessarily aimed at the average consumer.
“The list is for anyone who is interested in what goes into a fragrance, these can be regulators, stakeholders, dermatologists and the interested consumer,” IFRA’s Stephen Weller told CosmeticsDesign.
Having said that the alphabetical list of chemical names may be hard for the average consumer to understand, he explained.
‘Living list’
IFRA’s Use Survey, which is conducted every four years, will provide the information for the list that will be updated as and when things change.
“This is a living list so it will change when new ingredients come onto the market and when old ones drop off,” he said.
A survey is sent to every company that is affiliated with IFRA, according to Weller this covers about 90 percent of the global fragrance industry, so the list of ingredients is fairly exhaustive although may not include every single ingredient in use today.
However, the list does not give information about which products contain which ingredients.
“Obviously we aren’t publishing formulas here; that is protected information.”
Tracking problematic ingredients
For consumers who have suffered problems with certain fragrance ingredients it is possible to find out what is in a product by contacting the manufacturer who would then contact the fragrance provider, he explained.
According to IFRA Director General Jean-Pierre Houri the list fits with the industry’s efforts to be more transparent.
“The publishing of the IFRA list of ingredients is aligned with industry’s efforts to be more transparent while at the same time protecting proprietary details of the specific fragrance formulae,” he said.
“Our actions also demonstrate the responsibility and accountability of the fragrance industry and our commitment to communicate our extensive safety program.”
