- What it can be used for
- Adds scent, keeps films flexible and makes alcohol undrinkable (the functions the EU ingredient database, CosIng, lists for it; a product may use it for any of them)
- CAS number
- 464-49-3, 76-22-2
Why it’s flagged
A fragrance allergen the EU requires companies to name on the label.
- Annex III entry 331; on labels from 2026 to 2028 (Regulation 2023/1545). Source: EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex III (restricted)
Must be named on EU labels above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products. Elsewhere, including the US, it can hide inside “fragrance”.
What the research says
- A 1991 US EPA survey of 31 fragrance products already found limonene, linalool, alpha-pinene, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, camphor and acetone among the most common chemicals, the same compounds found in fragranced products tested in the 2010s. Moderate evidence. DONTSPRAYCALIFORNIA 2008 (DOJ ADA docket)
- In lab studies, common flavor and fragrance chemicals act directly on TRPA1, the nerve receptor that senses irritants such as mustard oil: cinnamon's cinnamaldehyde and thyme's thymol switch it on, while camphor and eucalyptus oil block it. Moderate evidence. Mihara & Shibamoto 2015
Each finding shows its evidence grade. See every graded fact or how we grade.
Don’t want it on you or in your air? Look for “fragrance-free,” not “unscented.” An unscented product can still contain a masking fragrance. Why the words matter.
What this page can’t tell you
These lists describe what a substance can do, its hazard. The risk from one product depends on how much is in it and how you use it, and the label doesn’t say how much.
Not being on a list doesn’t make an ingredient safe. It may never have been assessed.
“Fragrance” or “parfum” on a label can hide this ingredient and many others. In the US, the individual chemicals in a fragrance are rarely named on the label.
Check your products
Check a whole labelProducts that list itEWG Skin DeepShop fragrance-free
“Products that list it” opens Open Beauty Facts, a free database anyone can edit.
Flagged the same way
Official lists checked September 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.