PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Hexyl cinnamal
How much Hexyl cinnamal can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: alpha-Hexyl cinnamic aldehyde · Category 4, 51st Amendment
9.9%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Hexyl cinnamal may make up at most 9.9% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 55% of your concentrate: 55% of every 100 g.
Hexyl cinnamal 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 Hexyl cinnamal its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Hexyl cinnamal in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | no limit at this strength |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 99% |
| 15% | 66% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 55% |
| 20% | 49.5% |
| Extrait, 25% | 39.6% |
Which materials contain Hexyl cinnamal?
Sold as Hexyl cinnamal 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Iris Key Accord™ (Perfumer's Apprentice) | 20% | no limit on its own |
| Pamzest | 17.5% | no limit on its own |
| Tuberose floraline 75™ (Robertet) | 15% | no limit on its own |
| Tangeris Givco 212™ (Givaudan) | 12.9% | no limit on its own |
| Lilial Substitute IFRA™ (PerfumersWorld) | 10% | no limit on its own |
| Naturelle Homme (F-TEC) | 8% | no limit on its own |
| Jasmine (F-TEC) | 6% | no limit on its own |
| Agrumen Aldehyde PW | 5% | no limit on its own |
17 materials in the catalog carry Hexyl cinnamal; 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 |
|---|---|
| Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde | 30 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 70 g |
Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde brings 5.4% Hexyl cinnamal to the finished perfume, 55% of the limit: inside it.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde 30 g Ethylene Brassylate 70 g
Questions
Is Hexyl cinnamal banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 9.9% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Hexyl cinnamal can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 55% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Hexyl cinnamal. 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.