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What “fragrance” hides on a label

One word on the label can stand in for dozens of ingredients. Here's what 'fragrance' and 'parfum' actually cover, which allergens have to be named, and how to read 'unscented' claims.

Reading time5 min
UpdatedOct 14, 2026
Applies toSkincare · Cleaning
Scoringv1.12
parfum

01 / HIDDENWhat ‘fragrance’ actually means on a label.

When you see fragrance or parfum on an ingredient list, you’re looking at one entry for a whole mixture. A single scent can be built from dozens of compounds, and the formula is treated as a trade secret — so the label doesn’t have to list them.

The exception is a set of known fragrance allergens. In the EU, these must be named individually once they go above a small threshold. That’s why you often see parfum followed, near the end of the list, by names like linalool, limonene or citronellol.

Leave-on threshold
0.001%

Above this, a listed allergen must be named in creams, serums, deodorants and other products that stay on the skin.

Rinse-off threshold
0.01%

The limit for shampoos, cleansers and shower gels, which spend less time in contact with skin.

Fragrance is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis from cosmetics. The EU’s scientific committee on consumer safety has estimated that 1–3% of Europeans have a fragrance contact allergy. Most people never react — but once you’re sensitised, the allergy is usually lifelong.

02 / NAMEDThe allergens you’ll see by name.

The EU list started with 26 fragrance allergens. In 2023 it was expanded to more than 80, with new products required to comply from July 2026. A name on this list doesn’t mean the ingredient is dangerous — it means enough people react to it that they should be able to spot it.

IngredientTierWhat to know
Fragrance / ParfumAlso 'aroma' (often a flavour in toothpaste and lip products)
Caution
One word covering an undisclosed mixture — often dozens of compounds. Only the listed allergens above the threshold have to be named separately.
LinaloolLavender, coriander, many floral scents
Fair
A weak allergen when fresh. Exposed to air it oxidises into hydroperoxides, which are much stronger sensitisers — one reason old, opened products cause more trouble.
LimoneneCitrus scents, citrus peel oils, cleaning products
Fair
Same story as linalool: mild on its own, a common sensitiser once oxidised. One of the most frequently declared allergens on labels.
Citronellol and geraniolRose, geranium, citronella scents
Fair
Declarable allergens with no concentration limit. Usually present together in rose-type fragrances and rose oils.
Hexyl cinnamalJasmine-type scents; very common in detergents
Fair
A declarable allergen with a low reaction rate. You will see it on a lot of laundry and body-care labels.
CoumarinTonka bean, hay, sweet vanilla-type scents
Fair
Fair in cosmetics as a declarable allergen. A different story in food, where the app rates added coumarin as Avoid.
Benzyl alcoholFragrance ingredient and preservative
Fair
On the allergen list, but reactions are uncommon. It's often there as a preservative rather than for scent.
OTNE (Iso E Super)Tetramethyl acetyloctahydronaphthalenes; woody-amber scents
Fair
One of the allergens added to the EU list in 2023. Now has to be named above the labelling threshold.
IsoeugenolClove, carnation and spicy scents
Caution
A strong sensitiser with a maximum permitted concentration in EU cosmetics, not just a labelling rule.
Benzyl salicylate and citralFloral and lemony scents, sunscreens, body sprays
Caution
Declarable allergens that now also have hazard-based concentration limits in EU cosmetics (Regulation (EU) 2026/909).
Being declarable isn’t the same as being harmful. Most declared allergens are rated Fair — the label is there so the people who do react can find them.

03 / BANNEDFragrance allergens the EU has banned.

A handful of fragrance ingredients went further than a labelling rule — they were removed from EU cosmetics altogether. If you see these on a label, the product was either made before the ban or made for a market with different rules.

IngredientTierWhy it's banned
Butylphenyl methylpropional (Lilial)Lily-of-the-valley scents
Avoid
Banned in EU cosmetics from 1 March 2022 after being classified as toxic to reproduction. Still turns up in older stock and some non-EU products.
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (HICC, Lyral)Lily and muguet scents
Avoid
Was one of the most common fragrance allergens in patch testing. Banned in EU cosmetics; the sell-through period ended in August 2021.
Atranol and chloroatranolFound in oakmoss and treemoss extracts
Avoid
Very potent allergens. Banned in the EU from 2021, so oakmoss and treemoss extracts now have to be processed to remove them.

04 / NATURALEssential oils count as fragrance too.

“Scented only with essential oils” is not the same as fragrance-free. Essential oils are fragrance ingredients, and they’re made of the same compounds that appear on the allergen list:

  • Lavender oil — mostly linalool and linalyl acetate.
  • Citrus peel oils (orange, lemon, lime, bergamot) — mostly limonene. Some also contain furocoumarins, which can make skin react to sunlight.
  • Rose and geranium oils — citronellol and geraniol.
  • Clove and cinnamon oils — eugenol and cinnamal.

The skin can’t tell whether linalool came from a lab or a lavender field. If you react to fragrance, a “natural” scent is still a scent.

05 / CLAIMS‘Unscented’ vs ‘fragrance-free’.

Neither term has a legal definition in most countries, and they don’t mean the same thing in practice:

  • Fragrance-free usually means no fragrance ingredient was added. It’s the better claim to look for — but still check the list.
  • Unscented means the product shouldn’t smell of anything. That can involve adding a masking fragrance to cover the smell of the base ingredients.
  • Hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested aren’t defined standards. A product can carry either claim and still contain fragrance.

The reliable check is the ingredient list: no fragrance, parfum or aroma, no essential oils, and none of the named allergens above.

06 / RULESWhere the labelling rules differ.

How much a label tells you depends on where the product was made to be sold.

  • European Union — named allergens above the thresholds, on cosmetics and on cleaning products. The expanded list of 80+ applies to new products from July 2026, and to everything on shelves from July 2028.
  • Canada — fragrance allergens must now be named on cosmetic labels too, using thresholds that match the EU’s.
  • United States — labels can still say just “fragrance”. The 2022 cosmetics law (MoCRA) directs the FDA to require fragrance allergen labelling, but until that rule takes effect there’s no requirement to name them.

So the same product can show a list of allergens on its European packaging and a single word on its American packaging. A label with no named allergens isn’t proof that there are none.

07 / VERDICTThe bottom line.

Fragrance is a Caution, not a crisis.

If your skin is fine with scented products, the declared allergens are unlikely to bother you. If it isn't, go fragrance-free — and treat essential oils and 'unscented' claims as fragrance until the ingredient list says otherwise. Products that stay on the skin matter more than ones you rinse off, and old, opened bottles matter more than fresh ones.

If you get recurring rashes from personal care products, a dermatologist can patch test for fragrance allergy. Knowing exactly which compound you react to makes labels much easier to read.

08 / SOURCESSources.

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