Fragrance is an ingredient that can be found in a wide range of personal care products, from cosmetics and soaps to shampoos, lotions, shower gels and fragranced household cleaners. It is used to enhance the consumer’s experience and may also benefit overall health.
The word fragrance is derived from the Latin word parfum, meaning “scent.” It suggests a sweet or pleasant odor. Other words used in similar senses are perfume, scent, and redolence.
A perfume is a mixture of various substances that give the perfume its distinct scent. The components of a perfume usually include solvents, stabilizers, UV-absorbers, preservatives, and dyes.
Perfumes and colognes contain about 10-25 percent perfume concentrate. Eau de parfum and eau de toilette are solutions of the perfume concentrate, diluted in alcohol. Toilet water, a lesser concentrated form of cologne, contains about 2-6 percent perfume oil.
Chemicals in perfume and cologne are classified by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM). They are tested for safety under IFRA standards to ensure that fragrances are safe to use.
IFRA and RIFM work closely together to develop and set voluntary standards for the fragrance industry worldwide, which are then used to identify and test the chemicals that make up perfume and cologne. These standards include hazard identification, dose-response assessment and exposure assessment to ensure that the ingredients used in perfume and cologne are safe for consumers.
Fragrance is a complex mixture of many chemicals, including phthalates and aldehydes, that are formulated to create the unique aroma of the product. These chemicals can be natural or artificial and can cause allergic reactions, skin sensitization and other health problems. Ultimately, consumers need to educate themselves about what they are using and how it is made.