12 April 2023 – Representatives of the fragrance value chain and the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) attended a key seminar on the impact of changes to EU chemicals legislation on natural fragrance ingredients hosted at the European Parliament on 11 April.

The event was an opportunity for stakeholders from the fragrance sector and from policy makers to discuss how changes to the regulation on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) of substances and mixtures – as well as the REACH Regulation – will affect the fragrance value chain.

"IFRA’s priority has always been to promote the safe and sustainable use of fragrances”, said Martina Bianchini, President of IFRA. “Consumer enjoyment of scented products depends on the ability to use these products with confidence”.

The European Commission, as part of its Green Deal, is revising the EU chemicals legislation, and this will have an impact on the broader fragrance value chain – particularly for Natural Complex Substances (NCS), which can contain hundreds of different constituents.

“The challenge we face today is that the Commission’s current approach seeks to change the way that NCS are classified”, said Catherine Gadras, Chair of the IFRA NCS committee and Managing Director, Product Safety – Regulatory Affairs, Robertet. “In short, NCS are not intentional mixtures but substances. Therefore, where robust test data is available on an NCS as a whole, the classification of the NCS should be based on these data and not only on that from individual constituents”.

Additionally, the shift towards a classification by groups of substances, rather than individual substance classification should follow a clear methodology with robust, appropriate and transparent criteria.

“These changes under CLP and the knock-on effects for related legislation, such as REACH or the EU Cosmetic Products Regulation, put at risk the entire fragrance value chain”, added Mrs Gadras. “Fragrance ingredient production and the creation of scent is part of Europe’s deep cultural heritage and contributes to Europe’s prosperity through rural and regional development, innovation and skills. These are proud achievements that need to be preserved through a proportionate regulatory framework”.

IFRA presented its views to this seminar, which was organized and hosted by MEPs Clara Aguilera, Asim Ademov and Irène Tolleret, demonstrating inter-group interest in this key issue. The Association was joined by representatives from IFRA members and partners across the fragrance value chain.