Common Fragrance Types

Fragrance Type	Examples	Concerns
Essential oils	Lavender, tea tree, citrus oils	Natural, but can be allergenic or phototoxic
Synthetic aroma compounds	Linalool, Limonene, Coumarin, Benzyl alcohol	Common allergens; may oxidize on skin
Fixatives and preservatives	Phthalates (e.g., DEP), BHT	Endocrine disruption, environmental persistence
Masking agents	Musk ketone, Galaxolide	Persistent in body tissues and water systems

Regulatory note: The EU requires the declaration of 26 fragrance allergens on cosmetic labels if above threshold concentrations. This rule does not exist in most other jurisdictions.

List of 26 EU-Regulated Fragrance Allergens

No.	INCI Name	Common in
1	Amyl Cinnamal	Floral perfumes, jasmine-scented products
2	Benzyl Alcohol	Preservative and fragrance component
3	Cinnamyl Alcohol	Spicy or cinnamon-type fragrances
4	Citral	Citrus oils (e.g., lemongrass, lemon peel)
5	Eugenol	Clove oil, perfumed cosmetics
6	Hydroxycitronellal	Floral scents, especially lily-of-the-valley
7	Isoeugenol	Ylang-ylang oil, spicy scents
8	Amylcinnamyl Alcohol	Jasmine, floral fragrances
9	Benzyl Salicylate	Used for sweet, floral notes (lily, heliotrope)
10	Cinnamal	Cinnamon bark oil, spicy perfumes
11	Coumarin	Tonka bean, sweet almond-type fragrances
12	Geraniol	Rose oil, palmarosa oil
13	Anise Alcohol	Anise, fennel oils
14	Benzyl Cinnamate	Balsamic and floral perfumes
15	Farnesol	Neroli, citronella, and orange blossom oil
16	Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Lilial)*	Synthetic lily scent (now banned in EU)
17	Linalool	Lavender, bergamot, coriander oil
18	Benzyl Benzoate	Fixative, jasmine oil
19	Citronellol	Geranium, rose oil
20	Hexyl Cinnamal	Jasmine, floral perfumes
21	Limonene	Orange, lemon, lime peel oils
22	Methyl 2-Octynoate (Methyl heptine carbonate)	Violet-type scents
23	Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone	Violet and orris-based synthetic fragrance
24	Evernia Prunastri Extract (Oak moss)	Earthy, woody perfume notes
25	Evernia Furfuracea Extract (Tree moss)	Green, foresty scent base notes
26	Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde (Lyral)*	Synthetic floral (banned in EU)

Note:

Lilial (No. 16) and Lyral (No. 26) have been banned in the EU due to strong allergenic potential and/or potential endocrine disruption.