There are six new Standards based on the Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) methodology**, four revised Standards, a new Standard restricting the use of Furfural, a new Group Standard prohibiting the use of 2,4-Dienals and 11 revised Standards which take into account the contributions of Schiff Bases. Finally, one Standard has a corrected maximum use level.
One of the six new Standards is the result of new data becoming available supporting the safe use of Dihyrocoumarin. The result is that this previously prohibited material will now become a restricted material. The Standards are now made up of:
- 102 IFRA Standards restricting the use of ingredients
- 80 IFRA Standards prohibiting the use of ingredients
- 20 IFRA Standards setting a purity requirement
Full details of the 47th Amendment and all related guidance documents are freely available on the new IFRA website: http://www.ifraorg.org
Compliance with the Standards of the IFRA Code of Practice is mandatory for all companies belonging to IFRA directly or IFRA member associations.
The Code of Practice applies to the manufacture and handling of all fragrance materials, for all types of applications and contains the full set of IFRA Standards. The majority of client companies, including producers of toiletries and household products, expect their fragrances to comply with IFRA Standards as set out in the Code.
The IFRA Code of Practice is distributed worldwide and is in the hands of all member associations and their member companies, in addition to governmental regulatory bodies and interested stakeholders.
Fragrance industry Safety Program
The fragrance industry’s safety program is founded on assessing fragrance materials and either establishing ‘Safe Use Levels’, or prohibiting their use, based on studying their potential effects on people and the environment. Currently the safety program contains 186 ‘Standards’, which restrict, or prohibit, the use of selected fragrance materials.
To ensure that the fragrance industry adheres to its safety standards the International Fragrance
Association (IFRA) has a Compliance Program. Every year 50 products from a selection of 450, gathered from stores in 10 different countries, are tested. If a product does not comply with its Code of Practice and Standards, IFRA works with the manufacturer to ensure compliance.
Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)
In 2005 IFRA introduced a new Quantitative Risk Assessment or QRA approach to restrict fragrance materials that have a potential to induce contact sensitization. This new approach is a much more refined approach for evaluating sensitizing materials, and so provides more precise guidance on use levels of materials depending on the situation and the product in which they are used; ultimately it should better protect the consumer from becoming sensitized to a specific material.
