PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Benzyl salicylate

How much Benzyl salicylate can you put in a perfume?

IFRA standard: Benzyl salicylate · Category 4, 51st Amendment

7.3%

of the finished perfume, at most

Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Benzyl salicylate may make up at most 7.3% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 40.5% of your concentrate: 40.5% of every 100 g.

Benzyl salicylate 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.

Check your own formula in the free IFRA calculator

What the limit means at your strength

The limit is on the finished perfume, so the stronger the perfume, the less Benzyl salicylate its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:

Perfume strengthMost Benzyl salicylate in the concentrate
Cologne, 5%no limit at this strength
Eau de toilette, 10%73%
15%48.6%
Eau de parfum, 18%40.5%
20%36.5%
Extrait, 25%29.2%

Which materials contain Benzyl salicylate?

Sold as Benzyl salicylate 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:

MaterialTypical contentAlone at 18%, at most
Tuberose floraline 75™ (Robertet)45%90.1% of the concentrate
Frangipani Absolutenatural30%no limit on its own
Akigala Extreme™ (Fraterworks)22%no limit on its own
Frangipani (F-TEC)20%no limit on its own
O-Orchid (F-TEC)20%no limit on its own
Tuberalia Base20%no limit on its own
Carnation (F-TEC)15%no limit on its own
Tuberose (F-TEC)15%no limit on its own

58 materials in the catalog carry Benzyl salicylate; 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%:

MaterialWeighed
Benzyl Salicylate30 g
Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit70 g

Benzyl Salicylate brings 5.4% Benzyl salicylate to the finished perfume, 74% of the limit: inside it.

Or paste these lines into the calculator:

Benzyl Salicylate  30 g
Ethylene Brassylate  70 g

Questions

Is Benzyl salicylate banned in perfume?

No. IFRA restricts it: at most 7.3% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).

How much Benzyl salicylate can I use in an eau de parfum?

At 18%, at most 40.5% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Benzyl salicylate. Every other source counts toward the same total.

Does Benzyl salicylate from essential oils count?

Yes. The limit is on the total in the finished perfume, whatever brings it: Frangipani 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.

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