The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) published the 49th Amendment to the IFRA Code of Practice. The 49th Amendment to the IFRA Code of Practice introduces radical changes to the science behind fragrance safety and impacts the documentation of every fragrance in use.

In 2020, IFRA launched an update to the Standards. The aim was to integrate new data, new methods and new product types into the system., Known as the ‘49th Amendment’, these changes are the biggest to the Standards in many years.

Based on ongoing assessments of the wide range of ingredients used in our industry, IFRA has  added 25 new Standards, increasing the number of ingredients covered by the Standards to 214. There are also changes to around one hundred existing Standards, based on new data.

IFRA has also updated the way in which the Standards are calculated. For skin sensitization, a new assessment methodology called ‘QRA2’, which was created over many years by a multi-stakeholder group of experts involving dermatologists, academics, the industry and other stakeholders is used.

For a series of health effects, the new Standards look at ‘aggregate exposure’ – the way in which a range of different products are used together. A consumer database to understand how people really use fragrance products in everyday life, and to set rules to make sure they can continue to use them safely is made.

The new Standards also increase the number of product categories from 11 to 12, and include new sub-categories. Some ingredients are used in different products and different ways – in shampoos or in creams, in products that are washed off or in those left on the skin. These categories allow to set more precise and targeted restrictions on the use of some ingredients in certain products.

The new Amendment was published in 2019.