IFRA standards divide products into categories according to the way the skin is exposed to fragrance ingredients. In other words, it looks at:
- how long the product stays on the skin
- how much skin surface is exposed
- whether the product comes into contact with sensitive areas (lips, armpits, face)
Based on this, different product categories are created.
Examples
| IFRA category | Product type |
| Category 1 | lip products |
| Category 2 | deodorants and antiperspirants |
| Category 3 | body products (creams, oils) |
| Category 4 | perfumes, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, body mist |
| Category 5 | facial products |
| Category 8 | Rinse-off products (shampoos, shower gels) |
The longer and more sensitive the skin contact, the stricter the restrictions on fragrance.
How to check the maximum permitted odor concentration
Each perfume composition comes with a document called IFRA Certificate.
In that document there is a table with maximum concentrations for different IFRA categories.
Example
| IFRA category | Max odor concentration |
| Category 4 (perfume) | 20% |
| Category 5 (face cream) | 1% |
| Category 8 (shampoo) | 5% |
If you are making a product, the process is always the same:
- find the IFRA certificate of the fragrance composition
- find the product category you are formulating
- check the maximum allowed percentage
How do IFRA standards relate to EU cosmetic regulations?
It is important to understand that IFRA and EU regulations are not the same, but they are related.
IFRA standards specify:
- maximum safe concentration of odor molecules
- restrictions for different types of products
- recommendations for safe formulation
The EU cosmetic regulation (Regulation 1223/2009) determines:
- which substances may or may not be used
- how ingredients must be declared
- rules for declaring fragrance allergens
How IFRA and allergens are connected
If the perfume composition contains certain fragrance molecules that are on the list of allergens, they must be declared on the product label when they exceed the regulatory threshold.
According to changes in EU regulations:
- 0.001% in leave-on products
- 0.01% in rinse-off products
Then they must be specifically listed on the declaration, even though they are part of the perfume composition.
Examples of allergens: limonene, linalool, citral, geraniol, eugenol
The list of these fragrance allergens was expanded by new changes in the regulation to more than 80 components.
How it all looks in practice (formulation example)
If you are making an EDP perfume:
- use a perfume composition
- check IFRA Category 4 restriction
- you formulate a product below that limit
- check which allergens the composition contains
- if they exceed the threshold → they must be listed on the declaration
