Fragrance Mix II
The second-generation fragrance patch test — six newer allergens that Fragrance Mix I misses
INCIParfum
- Category
- Fragrance
- Risk level
- high
- What it is
- A patch-test reagent — 6 "newer" fragrance allergens, used together with FM I
- The 6 components
- Lyral (HICC, now EU-banned), citral, farnesol, citronellol, hexyl cinnamal, coumarin
- Why both mixes
- FM I + FM II together catch the majority of fragrance allergy; testing both is standard
- Natural-oil relevance
- Citral (lemongrass/citrus) and citronellol (rose/geranium) make "natural" products relevant here
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This ingredient may appear under any of these names:
Commonly found in
Possible reactions
- Allergic contact dermatitis at fragrance-contact sites
- Facial and neck dermatitis from fragranced cosmetics
- Airborne contact dermatitis from perfume
- Hand dermatitis from fragranced soaps/washes
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What is Fragrance Mix II?
Fragrance Mix II (FM II) is a patch-test reagent that complements Fragrance Mix I by screening for six fragrance allergens FM I doesn't cover. It was added to European and American standard series in the mid-2000s, once researchers recognised FM I was missing a chunk of clinically relevant reactions. Together, the two mixes catch the majority of fragrance allergy.
The six components (each with its own page here):
- Lyral / HICC — synthetic muguet; banned in EU cosmetics since 2019
- Citral — lemon note in citrus and lemongrass oils
- Farnesol — floral; also a deodorant antibacterial
- Citronellol — rose note in geranium/citrus oils
- Hexyl cinnamal — synthetic jasmine
- Coumarin — sweet hay/tonka note
Why it matters — including for "natural" products
Like FM I, these sensitise via Type IV hypersensitivity. Two features stand out:
- Lyral was a huge problem — at restriction it affected ~2–3% of the European population and over 10% of dermatitis patients, which is exactly why the EU banned it (2019). It can still appear in older or non-EU products.
- "Natural" relevance — citral is the main component of lemongrass and citrus oils, and citronellol comes from rose and geranium, so FM II is highly relevant to essential-oil and aromatherapy users, not just synthetic perfume.
Dual positivity (FM I and FM II) is common, and people sensitive to FM I components are more likely to react to FM II's too.
After a positive test
- Go fragrance-free, verifying the ingredient list.
- Mind citrus/"natural" products specifically if citral is your trigger.
- Check region for lyral — EU post-2019 products are lyral-free; non-EU products may not be.
- Component testing can identify which of the six is yours.
The bottom line
Fragrance Mix II is the essential companion to FM I — six newer allergens (including the now-banned lyral and the lemongrass allergen citral) that round out fragrance-allergy screening. If you clearly react to scent but FM I was negative, FM II is the next test to ask for.
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References & further reading
- Fragrance Mix II — development and use PubMed / Contact Dermatitis
- Fragrance contact allergy — overview DermNet
- CosIng / Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 (labelled fragrance allergens) EUR-Lex