PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Why does my perfume irritate my skin?
Why does my perfume irritate my skin?
If a perfume makes your skin red, itchy or sore, stop using it and rinse the area with water. If the reaction is strong, spreads, blisters or does not settle, see a doctor or a dermatologist: they can find out what you are reacting to. This page cannot tell you what is happening on your skin. It explains, for people who make perfume, the known reasons a fragrance can irritate skin and how the IFRA limits address them.
Allergy to fragrance materials
Some fragrance materials are contact allergens. An allergy to one (sensitisation) can develop after repeated contact, so a perfume that was fine for a long time can start to cause a reaction.
EU law names 75 fragrance allergens (99 CAS numbers) that must be declared on the label above 0.001% of a leave-on product, so a person who knows their allergy can avoid it. Many of them are also restricted by IFRA, among them Citronellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Hydroxycitronellal, Isoeugenol, Benzyl salicylate, Benzyl benzoate and Benzyl alcohol.
Phototoxic materials and sunlight
A few materials are phototoxic: on skin they can react with sunlight. The expressed citrus oils are the best known. In the 51st Amendment these carry a Category 4 limit set for that reason:
| Material | Limit, of the perfume | At 18%, of the concentrate |
|---|---|---|
| Angelica root oil | 0.8% | 4.44% |
| Bergamot oil | 0.4% | 2.22% |
| Bitter orange oil | 1.25% | 6.94% |
| Dimethyl anthranilate | 0.1% | 0.555% |
| Methyl beta-naphthyl ketone | 0.2% | 1.11% |
| Cumin oil | 0.4% | 2.22% |
| Grapefruit oil | 4% | 22.2% |
| Lemon oil | 2% | 11.1% |
| Lime oil | 0.7% | 3.88% |
| Acetyl hexamethyl indan | 2% | 11.1% |
| Tagetes oil | 0.01% | 0.0555% |
The furocoumarin-free (FCF) and distilled grades do not carry the phototoxic part and are not capped by these limits.
Too much of a material
IFRA limits are written as a maximum share of the finished perfume. The same material can be inside its limit at 5% and over it at 20%, because the stronger perfume puts more of it on skin.
A homemade perfume can go over a limit by accident. In the IFRA calculator's own example, 3 g of Bergamot Essential Oil in a 15 g concentrate is 9.7 times the limit at eau de parfum strength.
Things that are not the fragrance
Perfume is mostly ethanol, which can sting on dry, broken or freshly shaved skin. A reaction can also come from something else used on the same skin, so a doctor or dermatologist is the person to work out the cause.
If you make perfume
- Keep every restricted material inside its IFRA limit at the strength you bottle.
- Prefer the FCF or distilled citrus grades where the phototoxic limit would bind.
- Declare the EU fragrance allergens on the label.
- Check the whole formula, naturals included, before anyone wears it.
What a calculator cannot do
A calculator compares a formula with published limits. It is not a safety assessment, and it cannot say why a particular person reacts: that needs a doctor or a dermatologist.
Questions
Can perfume cause a rash?
It can. Fragrance materials are a known cause of contact allergy, and phototoxic materials can react with sunlight on skin. If you get a rash, stop using the product, and see a doctor or dermatologist if it does not settle.
Why am I suddenly reacting to a perfume I have worn for years?
An allergy to a fragrance material can develop after repeated contact, and a perfume can also be reformulated. A dermatologist can test which material you react to.
Is natural perfume safer for skin?
Not by being natural. Many IFRA restrictions fall on natural oils or on molecules they carry: clove oil carries eugenol, lemongrass oil carries citral, and expressed bergamot oil is phototoxic.