PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Benzyl alcohol
How much Benzyl alcohol can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: Benzyl alcohol · Category 4, 51st Amendment
2.5%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Benzyl alcohol may make up at most 2.5% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 13.8% of your concentrate: 13.8% of every 100 g.
Benzyl alcohol is also one of the EU's declarable fragrance allergens: above 0.001% of a leave-on product it must be named on the label.
What the limit means at your strength
The limit is on the finished perfume, so the stronger the perfume, the less Benzyl alcohol its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Benzyl alcohol in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | 50% |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 25% |
| 15% | 16.6% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 13.8% |
| 20% | 12.5% |
| Extrait, 25% | 10% |
Which materials contain Benzyl alcohol?
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hyacinth Absolutenatural | 30% | 46.2% of the concentrate |
| Hyacinth Body™ (IFF) | 15% | 92.5% of the concentrate |
| Narcissus absolutenatural | 15% | 92.5% of the concentrate |
| Sampaquita Givco 138™ (Givaudan) | 15% | 92.5% of the concentrate |
| Hyacinth (F-TEC) | 10% | no limit on its own |
| Nut (F-TEC) | 10% | no limit on its own |
| Karo Karounde Absolutenatural | 8% | no limit on its own |
| Parijat Absolutenatural | 8% | no limit on its own |
98 materials in the catalog carry Benzyl alcohol; the calculator counts every one of them.
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 |
|---|---|
| Hyacinth Absolute | 30 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 70 g |
Hyacinth Absolute brings 1.62% Benzyl alcohol to the finished perfume, 65% of the limit: inside it.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Hyacinth Absolute 30 g Ethylene Brassylate 70 g
Questions
Is Benzyl alcohol banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 2.5% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Benzyl alcohol can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 13.8% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Benzyl alcohol. Every other source counts toward the same total.
Does Benzyl alcohol from essential oils count?
Yes. The limit is on the total in the finished perfume, whatever brings it: Hyacinth Absolute typically carries 30%. 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.