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Environment and health

How the fragrance sector works to protect people’s wellbeing while reducing its footprint from field and laboratory to finished product and beyond.

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Fragrance for people and planet

Every fragrance material — whether distilled from a plant or created in a reactor — must pass rigorous human-health and environmental checks before it reaches your shampoo, candle or perfume. Scientific risk assessment, green-chemistry design and transparent standards guide the process.

Fragrance, health and the environment

Protecting people

Fragrance houses invest heavily in cutting-edge toxicology, dermatology and exposure science. New findings feed directly into the IFRA Standards, which limit or prohibit materials when evidence shows a potential risk. Clear ingredient labelling and harmonised hazard communication — guided by the annual IFRA-IOFI GHS Labelling Manual — help consumers and workers understand how to use products safely.

Respecting the planet

From biodiversity-rich raw materials to modern synthetic molecules designed for rapid biodegradation, the industry works to reduce its footprint. Guidance on the Nagoya Protocol supports fair benefit-sharing with communities that steward genetic resources, while life-cycle assessments steer research toward lower carbon, water and waste impacts.

There is no health without a healthy environment.”

Dr Maria Neira, WHO COP-24 Special Report