PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Bergamot oil
How much Bergamot oil can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: Bergamot oil expressed · Category 4, 51st Amendment
0.4%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Bergamot oil may make up at most 0.4% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 2.22% of your concentrate: 2.22% of every 100 g.
Bergamot oil 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 Bergamot oil its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Bergamot oil in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | 8% |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 4% |
| 15% | 2.66% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 2.22% |
| 20% | 2% |
| Extrait, 25% | 1.6% |
What the standard says
It is capped because it is phototoxic: on skin it can react with sunlight, so this limit is about sun exposure rather than allergy.
Bergamot FCF Essential Oil is not capped by this standard: the distilled or furocoumarin-free grade does not carry the phototoxic part.
Which materials contain Bergamot oil?
Sold as Bergamot oil itself, counted in full:
A worked example
A 100 g concentrate, bottled as an eau de parfum at 18%:
| Material | Weighed |
|---|---|
| Bergamot Essential Oil | 3.3 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 96.7 g |
Bergamot Essential Oil brings 0.594% Bergamot oil to the finished perfume, against a limit of 0.4%: 1.49 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts Bergamot Essential Oil from 3.3 g to 2.198 g. Or keep the formula and bottle it weaker: the highest strength inside every limit is 12.12%.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Bergamot Essential Oil 3.3 g Ethylene Brassylate 96.7 g
Questions
Is Bergamot oil banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 0.4% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Bergamot oil can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 2.22% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Bergamot oil. Every other source counts toward the same total.
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.