Perfume allergies

The response from the association Cosmébio.

Allergens in perfumes

Allergy to a perfume is an unusual or excessive reaction of the immune system following contact with a foreign substance (allergen). However, this reaction is distinct from other issues such as endocrine disruptors, which differ from allergens, as they involve different biological systems – endocrine vs immune.

Allergy is an individual response, specific to the person. Even if it can be severe, allergy remains a rare phenomenon within the population. Thus, people predisposed to react to an allergen must remain vigilant to avoid any contact (depending on their level of reaction) with the allergen.

In cosmetics, European regulations list 23 allergens (limonene, cinalool, geraniol…) whose presence must be indicated by the brand on the packaging above a certain threshold. The thresholds are set at 100 ppm for rinse-off products and 10 ppm for leave-on products.

In a natural cosmetic formula, these allergens are not added intentionally; they always come from natural ingredients. Natural allergens are often part of the multitude of molecules that make up essential oils.

As a guarantor of transparency in cosmetics, the Cosmébio association confirms the necessity to declare allergenic substances on cosmetic packaging (EC No. 1223/2009). Similarly to cosmetics, food allergens are also specified (tree nuts, egg, milk…).

Cosmébio is committed to safe and effective cosmetics

For Cosmébio, a product containing naturally derived allergens should not be penalized by rating apps. Due to the presence of listed allergens, cosmetics containing essential oils often receive unfavorable ratings from cosmetic “decoding” apps. Cosmébio wishes to remind that essential oils are indispensable to guarantee the sensory qualities of natural cosmetics and often contain beneficial active ingredients for the consumer.

The association therefore wants to highlight the role of essential oils in cosmetics. Essential oils are natural ingredients that bring benefits to cosmetics far beyond fragrance: calming or soothing effects as well as antimicrobial, tonic, anti-acne benefits are attributed to them. All the molecules extracted by distillation are part of the whole plant and are an integral component of essential oils, including allergens. For millennia, humans have been exposed to these molecules naturally present in the environment.

The risk of allergy, the difference between food and cosmetics

Milk is not criticized in apps, so why would certain compounds in a cream naturally scented with essential oils be, when the allergenic aspect of a cosmetic depends on the user? Two different people exposed to the same substance will not necessarily react the same way. And the health risks, to the body or more specifically the skin, related to fragrance allergens such as irritations or allergies concern only people sensitive to these substances…

Certainly, a person allergic to one of these molecules may have unpleasant symptoms if exposed. For this reason, Cosmébio reiterates the importance of transparent and readable labeling on products. But this does not present a “danger” to the general public. These reaction risks being quite limited, the mention of these ingredients in INCI lists is more informative than health-related. The goal is to facilitate their detection for sensitive individuals. Moreover, the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has published an information sheet explaining that only 1 to 3% of the European population has reported a perfume allergy.

It should be noted that when peeling a mandarin or an orange, exposure to limonene is 1000 times higher than from a cosmetic. Yet, peeling an orange poses no risk to non-allergic people.

We can therefore affirm regarding perfume allergy that fragrance allergens in cosmetics are like tree nuts in food products. They are mentioned on packaging to protect people who cannot tolerate them, but they pose no risk to non-allergic people. In food, the presence of these allergens does not affect the overall product rating given by “decoding” apps. So why do it in cosmetics?

In conclusion

We therefore propose that rating apps continue to identify allergens in products for allergic individuals but that the presence of allergens no longer affect product ratings, to place cosmetics on equal footing with food and move away from a rating system unfavorable to natural and organic cosmetics.

We would like to remind that certified organic cosmetics certainly represent the most advanced form of sustainable cosmetics by promoting the use of renewable resources and contributing to the development of organically farmed agricultural land.

The transparency that apps provide to consumers is indeed consistent with our missions, but it seems absurd to penalize a natural fragrance source when the use of natural ingredients helps advance the cosmetics industry to offer consumers products that are ever healthier for both humans and the environment.