PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Estragole
How much Estragole can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: Estragole · Category 4, 51st Amendment
0.014%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Estragole may make up at most 0.014% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 0.0777% of your concentrate: 0.0777% 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 Estragole its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Estragole in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | 0.28% |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 0.14% |
| 15% | 0.0933% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 0.0777% |
| 20% | 0.07% |
| Extrait, 25% | 0.056% |
Which materials contain Estragole?
Sold as Estragole 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tarragon Essential Oilnatural | 75% | 0.103% of the concentrate |
| Basil (F-TEC) | 20% | 0.388% of the concentrate |
| Basil Essential Oilnatural | 12% | 0.648% of the concentrate |
| Basil Essential Oil Sweetnatural | 12% | 0.648% of the concentrate |
| Betel Leaf Essential Oilnatural | 5% | 1.55% of the concentrate |
| Fennel Essential Oil sweetnatural | 5% | 1.55% of the concentrate |
| Star anise Essential Oilnatural | 3% | 2.59% of the concentrate |
| Aniseed Essential Oilnatural | 2% | 3.88% of the concentrate |
20 materials in the catalog carry Estragole; 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 |
|---|---|
| Estragole | 0.039 g |
| Tarragon Essential Oil | 0.062 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 99.899 g |
Estragole alone brings 0.00702% Estragole to the finished perfume, and Tarragon Essential Oil adds 0.00837%. Each looks modest, but the perfume holds 0.0154% against a limit of 0.014%: 1.1 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts Estragole from 0.039 g to 0.035 g and Tarragon Essential Oil from 0.062 g to 0.056 g. Or keep the formula and bottle it weaker: the highest strength inside every limit is 16.37%.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Estragole 0.039 g Tarragon Essential Oil 0.062 g Ethylene Brassylate 99.899 g
Questions
Is Estragole banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 0.014% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Estragole can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 0.0777% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Estragole. Every other source counts toward the same total.
Does Estragole from essential oils count?
Yes. The limit is on the total in the finished perfume, whatever brings it: Tarragon Essential Oil typically carries 75%. 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.