
A collaborative approach to allergen safety
Since 2013, IDEA has run a rolling work-plan of research, expert workshops and public reporting. Under independent supervision, it has refined quantitative risk assessment tools, promoted non-animal testing, and set transparent benchmarks that now guide safety decisions across Europe and beyond
How IDEA works
IDEA is governed by an Independent Supervisory Group of academic toxicologists who set the agenda, review progress and publish annual reports.
Through open, multi-stakeholder workshops, the project builds consensus on three pillars:
Hazard characterisation – creation of the Reference Chemical Potency List, giving agreed potency bands for 106 established fragrance allergens.
Exposure assessment – development of the refined Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA2) model that combines consumer habits data with product-specific dermal exposure.
Validation & monitoring – Europe-wide clinical surveillance studies that track real-world trends in contact allergy and feed those findings back into safety limits.
Outputs are published free of charge, allowing authorities and companies to apply a common scientific yardstick when formulating, regulating or reformulating fragranced goods