Parfum
Also known as Parfum, Fragrance, Perfume, Aroma, Flavor
“No regulator has issued a verdict on this ingredient.”
PARFUM (also FRAGRANCE; Aroma; Flavor) is an INCI labelling placeholder, not a chemical substance. Per EU Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 Article 19, 'perfume and aromatic compositions and their raw materials shall be referred to by the terms parfum or aroma' on the ingredient list — meaning the term 'parfum' on a product label can stand for any combination of dozens to hundreds of trade-secret aromatic raw materials, with no obligation to disclose composition. Because 'parfum' is by definition an undefined mixture, no regulator can issue a verdict on it: CIR scopes its safety assessments to defined chemical entities and has no entry for 'fragrance' or 'parfum'; the EU CosIng database lists 'parfum' as a function category, not a restricted substance; SCCS publishes opinions on individual fragrance allergens (e.g., SCCS/1459/11 covering 26 named allergens, plus per-ingredient opinions on Citral SCCS/1666/24 etc.) but not on the umbrella term; FDA does not regulate fragrance composition as a distinct cosmetic ingredient (fragrance trade secrets are protected under 21 CFR 720.8); Prop 65 lists individual fragrance components (e.g., styrene, methyl eugenol) but not 'fragrance'. The mechanism that makes fragrance composition assessable at all is the EU's Annex III allergen-disclosure rule: above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products, individual fragrance allergens listed in Annex III (the original 26 — Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Hydroxycitronellal, Lyral [now banned], Coumarin, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Cinnamal, Farnesol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Anise Alcohol, Methyl 2-Octynoate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Amylcinnamyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional [now banned], Isoeugenol, Evernia Furfuracea Extract, Evernia Prunastri Extract — expanded to ~80 substances by Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 with transition through July 2028) MUST appear by name on the label in addition to the 'parfum' term. The remaining composition is trade-secret. Industry self-regulates via the IFRA Standards (International Fragrance Association), but IFRA is not a regulator and its opinions are not admissible regulatory verdicts. Patch-test literature (Fonacier 2024; Sukakul 2025; Rodriguez 2024) consistently identifies fragrance as one of the top three positive cosmetic allergens, but the literature treats fragrance as a CATEGORY of risk, not a single ingredient with a single dose-response. The absence of an admissible regulatory verdict on 'parfum' is structural: it is logically impossible for any regulator to assess an undefined mixture, and TheDose's INSUFFICIENT_DATA tier reflects that structural impossibility honestly rather than fabricating coverage. To assess fragrance risk in a specific product, the analyst must look at which Annex III allergens appear separately on the ingredient list AFTER the 'parfum' token — those are the disclosed components and have their own assessable packets.
Provides olfactory experience that drives consumer product preference and perceived efficacy across nearly every personal-care category (perfumes, deodorants, shampoos, body wash, leave-in conditioners, lotions, sunscreens, makeup primers)
Trade-secret protection (EU Reg 1223/2009 Article 19; US 21 CFR 720.8) enables fragrance houses to invest in proprietary compositions, supporting an industry whose creative IP would otherwise be impossible to protect under standard ingredient-disclosure rules
Allows masking of inherent off-odors from functional ingredients (sulfated surfactants, certain plant extracts, fatty acid soaps), broadening the formulator's palette of admissible actives that would otherwise be commercially unviable on smell alone
Above 0.001% leave-on / 0.01% rinse-off, individual fragrance allergens (currently 26 substances per the original EU Annex III list, expanding to ~80 via Reg (EU) 2023/1545 with transition through July 2028) MUST be disclosed by name on the product label, but the remaining fragrance composition is trade-secret — the consumer cannot know the full composition of the 'parfum' term
Fragrance is consistently identified in dermatology literature as one of the top three positive cosmetic allergens on patch testing, alongside nickel and methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (Fonacier 2024) — meaning a 'parfum' designation on an ingredient list represents non-zero allergen risk by category, even when no disclosed Annex III allergens appear
Products labeled 'fragrance free' may still contain covert fragrances introduced for masking purposes (Rodriguez 2024) — the absence of 'parfum' on the label is not a guarantee of zero fragrance exposure
No ingredient-level safety verdict from any of the five jurisdictions in this directory's scope (CIR, CosIng, SCCS, FDA, Prop65) — not because fragrance is unstudied, but because 'parfum' is an undefined mixture and no regulator can issue an admissibility-grade verdict on a non-substance; the resulting INSUFFICIENT_DATA tier is a structural artifact, not a flag, and downstream product analysis must rely on the separately-disclosed Annex III allergen ingredients to make any fragrance-related claim
Industry self-regulation via IFRA (International Fragrance Association) Standards exists but is not a regulator opinion; IFRA findings are not admissible at the directly_stated + ingredient_specific tier required for accepted truth in this directory