The EU fragrance-allergen shake-up, measured on 4,442 real products
From July 31, 2026, cosmetics placed on the EU market must individually name ~80 fragrance allergens on the label instead of hiding them behind “Parfum” or “Fragrance”. We ran every product in the AllerNote catalog against the regulation's full allergen list. The short version: 22.2% of products already list at least one declarable fragrance allergen — and 52.9% of fragranced products still say only “Parfum”, exactly the labels this regulation forces to change.
Based on 4,442 products with parsed ingredient labels in the AllerNote catalog, as of 2026-07-16.
What actually changes on July 31
Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amends the EU Cosmetics Regulation's Annex III: the list of fragrance allergens that must be spelled out in the ingredients list (when above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products) grows from the familiar “26 allergens” era to 81 declarable entries — 57 of them newly declarable, including everyday names like camphor, menthol, vanillin, and whole botanical oils like lavandin, ylang-ylang, lemongrass, and sandalwood.
- July 31, 2026 — products placed on the EU market must comply.
- July 31, 2028 — sell-through ends: non-compliant stock may no longer be made available.
For people with fragrance allergies this is the biggest labelling win in two decades: the allergen your dermatologist identified in a patch test will finally be visible on the box for far more products. Until then, a scanner that knows the component allergens inside “Parfum”-era labels is how you bridge the gap.
Important framing: our numbers describe ingredient labels, not compliance. A product listing “Parfum” today is perfectly legal — sell-through runs to 2028 — and labels don't disclose concentrations, so presence of an allergen ≠ risk for any individual.
Which declarable allergens actually show up on labels
Prevalence of every entry across the catalog — “new” marks allergens whose individual labelling duty starts with this regulation.
| # | Allergen | Status | Products | % of catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linalool | classic 26 era | 531 | 12% |
| 2 | Benzyl Alcohol | classic 26 era | 514 | 11.6% |
| 3 | Limonene | classic 26 era | 459 | 10.3% |
| 4 | Geraniol | classic 26 era | 287 | 6.5% |
| 5 | Citronellol | classic 26 era | 260 | 5.9% |
| 6 | Benzyl Salicylate | classic 26 era | 139 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Citral | classic 26 era | 124 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone | classic 26 era | 115 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Hexyl Cinnamal | classic 26 era | 97 | 2.2% |
| 10 | Coumarin | classic 26 era | 89 | 2% |
| 11 | Menthol | newly declarable | 89 | 2% |
| 12 | Benzyl Benzoate | classic 26 era | 44 | 1% |
| 13 | Amyl Cinnamal | classic 26 era | 36 | 0.8% |
| 14 | Eugenol | classic 26 era | 32 | 0.7% |
| 15 | Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) Oil | newly declarable | 24 | 0.5% |
| 16 | Lemon (Citrus Limon) Peel Oil | newly declarable | 21 | 0.5% |
| 17 | Farnesol | classic 26 era | 19 | 0.4% |
| 18 | Hydroxycitronellal | classic 26 era | 18 | 0.4% |
| 19 | Linalyl Acetate | newly declarable | 17 | 0.4% |
| 20 | Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes | newly declarable | 16 | 0.4% |
Where fragrance allergens concentrate, by category
| Category | Products analyzed | % with ≥1 EU-declarable allergen |
|---|---|---|
| Sunscreen | 726 | 13.1% |
| Moisturizer | 601 | 17.3% |
| Cleanser | 468 | 21.6% |
| Serum | 380 | 12.1% |
| Body Lotion | 201 | 24.4% |
| Makeup Remover | 181 | 12.2% |
| Day Moisturizer | 157 | 33.8% |
Products with zero EU-declarable fragrance allergens
If you're avoiding fragrance allergens entirely, these products listed neither an umbrella “Parfum” nor any of the 81 declarable entries at analysis time. Always re-check the label on the product you actually buy — formulations change.
Serum
Cleanser
Sunscreen
- CeraVe — Invisible Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Face
- La Roche-Posay — Anthelios UV Clear Sunscreen SPF 50
- Nivea — UV Face Sensitive Protect SPF 50
- Dot & Key Skincare — Cica Calming Mattifying Sunscreen SPF 50+
- La Roche-Posay — Anthelios UV Hydra Hydrating Face Sunscreen SPF 50 With Hyaluronic Acid
- COSRX — Aloe 54.2 Aqua Tone-up Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++
Body Lotion
Moisturizer
Makeup Remover
Frequently asked questions
What changes on July 31, 2026?
Cosmetics placed on the EU market from that date must individually name all 81 declarable fragrance allergens on the ingredients list when they exceed 0.001% (leave-on) or 0.01% (rinse-off) — instead of grouping them under "Parfum" or "Fragrance". Existing stock can sell through until July 31, 2028.
Which allergens are newly declarable?
57 entries, including everyday substances like camphor, menthol, vanillin, benzaldehyde and whole botanical oils such as lavandin, ylang-ylang, lemongrass, jasmine, sandalwood and rose oil. The full list with per-allergen prevalence is in the table above and the CSV download.
How many products are affected?
In our catalog of 4,442 products, 22.2% already list at least one declarable allergen by name, and 52.9% of fragranced products list only the umbrella term "Parfum/Fragrance" — those labels will need to name any allergen above threshold going forward.
I just got patch-test results. What should I do?
Until re-labelled products reach shelves, many labels still hide your allergen inside "Parfum". AllerNote checks products against your specific allergen list — including component allergens inside umbrella terms — so you don't have to memorize 80 names. Start with the free scanner or the patch-test translator.
Does an allergen on the label mean the product is unsafe?
No. Labels don't disclose concentrations, and most people react to only a few specific allergens, if any. Individual labelling simply makes it possible for allergic users to spot THEIR allergen. Talk to a dermatologist about patch testing if you suspect a fragrance allergy.
Use this data
Free to cite with attribution: “Source: AllerNote Research (allernote.com/research/eu-fragrance-allergens-2026)”. Questions or a custom cut of the data for a story? Get in touch — we answer fast.
Three headline numbers, quotable as-is:
- 73.3% of the 4,442 cosmetic products in AllerNote's catalog contain at least one ingredient from its curated contact-allergen database.
- 22.2% of the 4,442 products contain at least one EU-declarable fragrance allergen (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545).
- Among fragranced products, 52.9% list only the umbrella term 'Parfum/Fragrance' with no individually named EU allergen — labels that must change for products placed on the EU market after 2026-07-31.