PerfuMate › IFRA limits › 4-Methylguaiacol
How much 4-Methylguaiacol can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: 2-Methoxy-4-methylphenol · Category 4, 51st Amendment
0.047%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), 4-Methylguaiacol may make up at most 0.047% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 0.261% of your concentrate: 0.261% of every 100 g.
What the limit means at your strength
The limit is on the finished perfume, so the stronger the perfume, the less 4-Methylguaiacol its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most 4-Methylguaiacol in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | 0.94% |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 0.47% |
| 15% | 0.313% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 0.261% |
| 20% | 0.235% |
| Extrait, 25% | 0.188% |
Which materials contain 4-Methylguaiacol?
Sold as 4-Methylguaiacol itself, counted in full:
It also arrives inside other materials. The limit is on the total, so the calculator adds every source together. The largest carriers in PerfuMate's catalog, by their typical composition:
| Material | Typical content | Alone at 18%, at most |
|---|---|---|
| Birch tar oil rectifiednatural | 4% | 6.52% of the concentrate |
| Cade oil rectifiednatural | 3% | 8.7% of the concentrate |
| Wood Smoke (F-TEC) | 3% | 8.7% of the concentrate |
| Choya lobannatural | 2% | 13% of the concentrate |
| Vanellia 319883A™ (Fraterworks) | 0.2% | no limit on its own |
| Vanilla Supreme™ (Fraterworks) | 0.0321% | no limit on its own |
| Caress Musk™ (Fraterworks) | 0.0001% | no limit on its own |
Shares are the catalog's typical values. A real batch varies with origin and season, and your supplier's analysis (GC-MS or certificate of analysis) is the real figure.
A worked example
A 100 g concentrate, bottled as an eau de parfum at 18%:
| Material | Weighed |
|---|---|
| 4-Methylguaiacol | 0.13 g |
| Birch tar oil rectified | 3.9 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 95.97 g |
4-Methylguaiacol alone brings 0.0234% 4-Methylguaiacol to the finished perfume, and Birch tar oil rectified adds 0.0281%. Each looks modest, but the perfume holds 0.0515% against a limit of 0.047%: 1.1 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts 4-Methylguaiacol from 0.13 g to 0.118 g and Birch tar oil rectified from 3.9 g to 3.546 g.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
4-Methylguaiacol 0.13 g Birch tar oil rectified 3.9 g Ethylene Brassylate 95.97 g
Questions
Is 4-Methylguaiacol banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 0.047% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much 4-Methylguaiacol can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 0.261% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries 4-Methylguaiacol. Every other source counts toward the same total.
Does 4-Methylguaiacol from essential oils count?
Yes. The limit is on the total in the finished perfume, whatever brings it: Birch tar oil rectified typically carries 4%. The calculator adds every source.
Does this limit apply to candles or soap?
No. This is Category 4, fine fragrance on skin. Other products sit in other IFRA categories with other limits, which these pages and the calculator do not cover.