PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Peru balsam

How much Peru balsam can you put in a perfume?

IFRA standard: Peru balsam · Category 4, 51st Amendment

0.41%

of the finished perfume, at most

Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Peru balsam may make up at most 0.41% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 2.27% of your concentrate: 2.27% of every 100 g.

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 Peru balsam its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:

Perfume strengthMost Peru balsam in the concentrate
Cologne, 5%8.2%
Eau de toilette, 10%4.1%
15%2.73%
Eau de parfum, 18%2.27%
20%2.05%
Extrait, 25%1.64%

What the standard says

Crude Peru balsam may not be used at all; the limit applies to its extracts and distillates (the oil, the absolute and the anhydrol).

Which materials contain Peru balsam?

Sold as Peru balsam 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
Pineapple Natpop™ (Mane)0.8%no limit on its own

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
Peru balsam Essential Oil3.4 g
Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit96.6 g

Peru balsam Essential Oil brings 0.612% Peru balsam to the finished perfume, against a limit of 0.41%: 1.49 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts Peru balsam Essential Oil from 3.4 g to 2.252 g. Or keep the formula and bottle it weaker: the highest strength inside every limit is 12.05%.

Or paste these lines into the calculator:

Peru balsam Essential Oil  3.4 g
Ethylene Brassylate  96.6 g

Questions

Is Peru balsam banned in perfume?

No. IFRA restricts it: at most 0.41% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).

How much Peru balsam can I use in an eau de parfum?

At 18%, at most 2.27% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Peru balsam. 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.

Related