Here we are, an industry facing what it believes to be a critical crisis affecting its future for all time, and only a handful of people have ever spoken with a regulator or elected official. Perhaps there is a connection. Could these things be related? My theme is: the times are changing. The good times are gone and they are not coming back. Never again will this industry be able to flourish in as much privacy — if not secrecy — as it has until now. Never again will government regulators pay so little attention to this industry, and never again will our customers and our customer’s customers take us for granted.
As for the latest news on European ingredient labeling, the fragrance industry will undoubtedly face the labeling of 26 ingredients. And there are many other pending regulatory and legislative actions we need to be aware of as well. For instance: the Chemicals White Paper and the new chemical regulatory Program that’s forthcoming in Europe.
There is also a new policy from RIFM and IFRA that addresses how to examine the safety of essential oils. Specifically, it calls for the review of the constituents of essential oils for toxic and systemic effects, in addition to deciding on a case-by-case basis whether or not to review the constituents of essential oils for skin effects. There is also a new paradigm at FEMA for evaluating the safety of naturals, which also looks at the constituents of the naturally occurring substance. For the complete article, click on "Purchase this article."