IFRA aims to restructure fragrance industry

By Louise Prance

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Fragrance industry Perfume

Continuing its pledge to reform the fragrance industry with its
revised code of practice, the IFRA has released a revised
Quantitative Risk Assessment booklet in a bid to educate the
industry further on the recent 42nd amendment.

It is the second edition of the booklet, which was first released by the association early last year in relation to the then 40th​ amendment. In conjunction with the booklet the IFRA is also holding a workshop in the US in June encouraging all members and non-members to attend in order to fully review the implications of the 42nd​ amendment and its implementation times. The 42nd​ amendment has extended the number of standards set on the basis of dermal sensitization - covering 14 new standards with 19 new materials, 'which cover most of the fragrance ingredients that require so-called 'allergen labelling' in Europe'. The IFRA has pitted the booklet as a way to educate fragrance suppliers and users on the new amendment, and the extended implementation times designated, following industry confusion over what materials actually need to be tested. Jean-Paul Houri earlier commented to CosmeticsDesign-Europe​ that the new amendment would help to clear up certain industry misgivings that the code of practice discriminates against the smaller perfumers who do not have the time or money to wade through 'the unnecessary red tape'. Relating to 30-40 ingredients the new amendment is said to allow manufacturers in the fragrance industry to learn the rules for the QRA scheme in advance, abolishing the step-by-step approach' that threatened to upset the industry further. The booklet goes into depth detailing how the new standards will be set and how existing IFRA standards will be handled. In order to give manufacturers further comfort regarding the future of the fragrance legislation the booklet also discusses what practices may be considered for inclusion in the voluntary code of practice in the future. First introduced in 1973 the code was initiated to properly regulate and provide products that are safe for use by the consumer and for the environment. It is said to reflect the current state of development regarding today's scientific and business environment. However, it was mooted for revision in October 2006 after the association called for the inclusion of new policies essential for the fragrance industry and to update it with the latest market knowledge. Since the inclusion of the QRA many organisations, such as the independent watchdog for the aroma trade Cropwatch, have stated that the IFRA actively discriminates against smaller perfumers who rely heavily on the current consumer trend for natural and organic products and do not have the time and manpower to undertake the policy. Indeed, the watchdog has gone so far as to create a petition to boycott the amendment, which at present has over 700 names on it. These names mainly consist of smaller independent fragrance companies who share Cropwatch's view over the uncertainty of their future if they are made to abide by the new regulations.

Related topics Formulation & Science Fragrance

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