PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Iso E Super
How much Iso E Super can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: 1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Octahydro-2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl) ethanone (OTNE) · Category 4, 51st Amendment
20%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Iso E Super may make up at most 20% of the finished perfume. That only binds in a perfume stronger than 20%: in an eau de parfum at 18%, even a concentrate made of nothing else stays inside it.
Iso E Super 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 Iso E Super its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Iso E Super in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | no limit at this strength |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | no limit at this strength |
| 15% | no limit at this strength |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | no limit at this strength |
| 20% | no limit at this strength |
| Extrait, 25% | 80% |
Which materials contain Iso E Super?
Sold as Iso E Super itself, counted in full:
- Iso E Super® (IFF)
- Sylvamber
- Timbersilk
- Amber Gamma™ (Privi Speciality Chemicals)
- Orbitone T Neo™ (Takasago)
- Anthamber™ (DRT-Anthea Aroma Chemicals)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Miraclewood™ (Fraterworks) | 67% | no limit on its own |
| W-Wood (F-TEC) | 30% | no limit on its own |
| Male Woodsy (F-TEC) | 25% | no limit on its own |
| White Oak (F-TEC) | 20% | no limit on its own |
| Wood Smoke (F-TEC) | 20% | no limit on its own |
| Y-Mossy (F-TEC) | 20% | no limit on its own |
| Blackwood Base 199939 RF17™ (dsm-firmenich) | 15% | no limit on its own |
| Cashmeran Velvet™ (IFF) | 15% | no limit on its own |
23 materials in the catalog carry Iso E Super; 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 |
|---|---|
| Iso E Super | 30 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 70 g |
Iso E Super brings 5.4% Iso E Super to the finished perfume, 27% of the limit: inside it.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Iso E Super 30 g Ethylene Brassylate 70 g
Questions
Is Iso E Super banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 20% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Iso E Super can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, as much as you like as far as this limit goes: 20% of the perfume is more than an 18% concentrate can hold. Other sources and other limits still count.
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.