EU fragrance allergen labels grow from 24 to about 80, essential oils included

From 2026, cosmetics sold in the European Union must name nearly four times as many fragrance allergens on their labels: about 80 instead of 24, under Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545. Many essential oils are on the new list. For anyone allergic to fragrance this is good news, because the single word “parfum” on a label gets broken open to show more of what’s inside.

If ingredient lists are new to you, start with How to read a cosmetic ingredient list. This article builds on it.

Why the EU added more names

Contact allergy lasts for life. Once your immune system has learned to react to a substance, a much smaller dose than before can bring the rash back. The regulation estimates that 1-9% of people in the EU are allergic to fragrance allergens.

Capping how much of a substance goes into a formula helps stop new people becoming allergic. It does nothing for people who already are. They need to know the name of what’s in the bottle so they can avoid it, which is why the EU uses mandatory labelling.

The old list of 24 came from earlier rules. In 2012 the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed those 24 still mattered, and identified 56 more that clearly cause allergies in people but didn’t have to be named. The 2023 regulation adds them.

Same thresholds, longer list

The thresholds don’t change. A listed substance must appear on the label when it exceeds:

• 0.001% in leave-on products, such as creams, lotions, serums and perfume
• 0.01% in rinse-off products, such as shampoo, soap and shower gel

	Before	After
Allergens that must be named	24	about 80 (24 + 56)
Leave-on threshold	0.001%	0.001%
Rinse-off threshold	0.01%	0.01%
Essential oils and plant extracts	a few	many more, several grouped under one name
Label names	several variants in use	one required name per entry

The rule also tidies up names. Where a substance has several names, it sets the one to use, and some groups share one label name: geranial and neral are both written as Citral. Substances that turn into known allergens when they meet air or enter the skin are treated the same as the allergens themselves.

Essential oils are on the list

If you favour natural products, this is the part to know. The new list includes many essential oils and plant extracts. Names you will see on labels include:

• Lemongrass Oil
• Eucalyptus Globulus Oil
• Eugenia Caryophyllus Oil (clove)
• Jasmine Oil/Extract
• Rose Flower Oil/Extract
• Cananga Odorata Oil/Extract (ylang ylang)
• Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil (orange peel) and lemon peel oil
• Lavandula Oil/Extract (certain hybrid lavenders)
• Santalum Album Oil (sandalwood)

There are also familiar single substances such as Menthol, Camphor, Vanillin, Linalyl Acetate, Benzaldehyde and Carvone.

Natural doesn’t mean allergy-free. Several essential oils are on this list because people really do react to them.

Timeline: when it applies

The regulation was published in the EU Official Journal on 27 July 2023 and entered into force 20 days later, with two transition periods:

1. Until 31 July 2026, products whose labels don’t meet the new rule could still be placed on the market for the first time.
2. Until 31 July 2028, older products already placed on the market can still be made available, meaning sold from shelves.

In practice, as of late 2026 anything newly launched in the EU must carry the new label, while older stock works its way out until mid-2028. For now you will see both short old labels and long new ones side by side.

Worked example: how much is 0.001%?

It’s a tiny number. Turn it into milligrams.

1. A 50 g body lotion is leave-on, so the threshold is 0.001%.
2. 50 g × 0.001% = 50 × 0.00001 = 0.0005 g = 0.5 mg.
3. If that lotion contained (say) 0.1% lemongrass oil, that’s 50 × 0.001 = 0.05 g = 50 mg, a hundred times the threshold. Lemongrass Oil has to appear on the label.

Compare a 200 g shampoo, which is rinse-off at 0.01%:

1. 200 × 0.0001 = 0.02 g = 20 mg.
2. Any listed substance above 20 mg in the whole bottle must be named.

The takeaway: when an essential oil is added on purpose for scent, it will almost always be above the threshold, so its name will show up.

Making the new labels work for you

• Get the exact INCI name from your doctor. If a patch test showed what you react to, save the name as it appears on labels in your phone.
• Look for both single substances and oils. Someone allergic to citral may also need to watch lemongrass oil. Ask your doctor which groups to avoid.
• Read to the end. These substances are usually under 1%, so they sit in the second half of the list.
• Test anything new. See Patch test new products first.

Common mistakes

• Reading a longer list as a riskier formula. The formula may be unchanged; the label is just more detailed.
• Trusting “fragrance-free” blindly. Some still contain masking agents or plant extracts. Read the actual list.
• Assuming below threshold means none. Amounts under 0.001% don’t have to be named, so people with severe allergies can’t avoid everything.
• Comparing an old and a new label on the same product and assuming a reformulation. Between 2026 and 2028 both labels can be on shelves at once.
• Treating rashes yourself. If an itchy rash keeps returning after using cosmetics, stop the product and see a dermatologist to find the cause.

Sources

• Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products — EUR-Lex
• Labelling requirements for cosmetic products containing fragrances covered under Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 — HPRA
• Fragrance allergy — DermNet