PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Benzyl benzoate
How much Benzyl benzoate can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: Benzyl benzoate · Category 4, 51st Amendment
4.8%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Benzyl benzoate may make up at most 4.8% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 26.6% of your concentrate: 26.6% of every 100 g.
Benzyl benzoate 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 benzoate its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Benzyl benzoate in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | 96% |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 48% |
| 15% | 32% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 26.6% |
| 20% | 24% |
| Extrait, 25% | 19.2% |
Which materials contain Benzyl benzoate?
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Indolarome | 60% | 44.4% of the concentrate |
| Honey Oliffac DEPR 0512™ (IFF) | 45% | 59.2% of the concentrate |
| Peru Balsam Oliffac 0912™ (IFF) | 39.8% | 67% of the concentrate |
| Nitro Musk (F-TEC) | 35% | 76.1% of the concentrate |
| Broom (F-TEC) | 34.9% | 76.4% of the concentrate |
| Benzoin (F-TEC) | 30% | 88.8% of the concentrate |
| Carnation Absolutenatural | 30% | 88.8% of the concentrate |
| Orchidia Blender (F-TEC) | 30% | 88.8% of the concentrate |
121 materials in the catalog carry Benzyl benzoate; 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 |
|---|---|
| Carnation Absolute | 30 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 70 g |
Carnation Absolute brings 1.62% Benzyl benzoate to the finished perfume, 34% of the limit: inside it.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Carnation Absolute 30 g Ethylene Brassylate 70 g
Questions
Is Benzyl benzoate banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 4.8% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Benzyl benzoate can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 26.6% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Benzyl benzoate. Every other source counts toward the same total.
Does Benzyl benzoate from essential oils count?
Yes. The limit is on the total in the finished perfume, whatever brings it: Carnation 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.