PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Phenylacetaldehyde
How much Phenylacetaldehyde can you put in a perfume?
IFRA standard: Phenylacetaldehyde · Category 4, 51st Amendment
0.25%
of the finished perfume, at most
Under the IFRA Standards (51st Amendment, Category 4: fine fragrance on skin), Phenylacetaldehyde may make up at most 0.25% of the finished perfume. In an eau de parfum at 18%, that is at most 1.38% of your concentrate: 1.38% 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 Phenylacetaldehyde its concentrate can hold. If nothing else in the formula carries it:
| Perfume strength | Most Phenylacetaldehyde in the concentrate |
|---|---|
| Cologne, 5% | 5% |
| Eau de toilette, 10% | 2.5% |
| 15% | 1.66% |
| Eau de parfum, 18% | 1.38% |
| 20% | 1.25% |
| Extrait, 25% | 1% |
Which materials contain Phenylacetaldehyde?
Sold as Phenylacetaldehyde 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hyacinth (F-TEC) | 6% | 23.1% of the concentrate |
| Hyacinth Body™ (IFF) | 5% | 27.7% of the concentrate |
| Hyacinth Storm™ (Fraterworks) | 4.5% | 30.8% of the concentrate |
| Acacia (F-TEC) | 3% | 46.2% of the concentrate |
| Honey (F-TEC) | 3% | 46.2% of the concentrate |
| G-Green (F-TEC) | 2% | 69.4% of the concentrate |
| Frangipani Absolutenatural | 1% | no limit on its own |
| Ivybase | 1% | no limit on its own |
16 materials in the catalog carry Phenylacetaldehyde; 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 |
|---|---|
| Phenylacetaldehyde | 2.1 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 97.9 g |
Phenylacetaldehyde brings 0.378% Phenylacetaldehyde to the finished perfume, against a limit of 0.25%: 1.51 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts Phenylacetaldehyde from 2.1 g to 1.379 g. Or keep the formula and bottle it weaker: the highest strength inside every limit is 11.9%.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Phenylacetaldehyde 2.1 g Ethylene Brassylate 97.9 g
Questions
Is Phenylacetaldehyde banned in perfume?
No. IFRA restricts it: at most 0.25% of a fine fragrance (Category 4).
How much Phenylacetaldehyde can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, at most 1.38% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Phenylacetaldehyde. Every other source counts toward the same total.
Does Phenylacetaldehyde from essential oils count?
Yes. The limit is on the total in the finished perfume, whatever brings it: Frangipani Absolute typically carries 1%. 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.