Flavor & Fragrance

The ingredient declaration for a cosmetic product requires that all the ingredients be listed, including components of a blended ingredient. Fragrance and flavor blends are an exception.; you can just identify them as “fragrance” or “flavor” (as appropriate) in the list of ingredients.

Fragrance Oils

Most fragrances oils are actually blends of a number of components. The actual make-up is usually proprietary and you may never know what’s in the actual liquid you put in your cosmetic product. One or more fragrance oils used in a cosmetic product should be identified as “fragrance” in the ingredient declaration.

Flavor Oils

Flavor oils are also blends of various components. Flavor oils used in a cosmetic product should be identified as “flavor” in the ingredient declaration providing they are actually to provide flavor to the product.

Essential Oil Blends

An essential oil blend can be identified as “fragrance” in the ingredient declaration. Alternatively, if you know the individual essential oils contained in the blend you may list them individually. You also have the option to list some oils as “fragrance” and list the remainder individually.

If you choose to identify the essential oils in the ingredient declaration as “fragrance” you can still place marketing text on the product label which states that you use essential oils and which one(s).

In the United States: Since essential oils are botanical (plant based), in the United States they should be listed by the English common name followed by the plant part and the form (i.e. “Orange peel oil”). If desired, you may place the accepted scientific name of the plant in parenthesis (i.e. “Orange (citrus sinensis) peel oil”).

In Canada, Europe and other countries: The essential oils should be listed by the scientific name accepted in the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary (i.e. “Citrus sinensis peel oil”).

Fragrance Allergens

In Europe, there are 26 fragrance allergens which must be listed in the ingredient declaration if they are present at more than 0.001% (10 ppm) in leave-on products or 0.01% (100 ppm) in rinse-off products. An amendment to increase in the number of allergens that must be identified is in the works and is likely to go into effect sometime in 2023.

In the United States, there are no fragrance allergens that are required to be identified in the ingredient declaration. However, the Modernization of Cosmetic Regulations Act of 2022, which was signed into law in December 2022, requires that the FDA identify any fragrance allergens that should be listed in the ingredient declaration. That list should be finalized and published in regulations around mid-2025 if the FDA keeps to the required schedule.