EU Proposes More Strict Regulation of Perfume Ingredients

Citing consumer protection from allergens, the EU Commission has proposed a ban on a number of molecules used in fragrance ingredients, such as oak moss and tree moss.

According to Reuters, the EU executive body is giving its first judicial response to a report on allergies it had commissioned from the advisory Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), which was published in July 2012. It said the report called for drastically reducing the use of many natural ingredients found in perfumes, on the basis that 1 to 3 percent of the EU population may be allergic or may become allergic to them.  

Further, it said the report recommended restricting the concentration of 12 substances including citral, coumarin and eugenol to 0.01% of the finished product. It also proposed an outright ban on tree moss and oak moss. Reuters said the EU Commission proposed conducting further research to determine what level of concentration should be used for those 12 ingredients and for another eight.

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