A perfume’s ingredient list usually begins with alcohol denat. (the alcohol carrier), parfum or fragrance (the perfume concentrate, listed as one item), and often aqua (water). It may then name UV filters, antioxidants and colourants, followed by individual substances such as linalool, limonene, citral, geraniol and coumarin. Those are listed because cosmetics rules in markets such as the European Union require certain fragrance substances known to cause allergic reactions in some people to be named above set levels. The list tells you about possible allergens; it does not reveal the formula, the quality of the perfume or whether its materials are natural.

The list, word by word

Alcohol denat.

Denatured alcohol: ethanol made undrinkable by adding a small amount of a bitter or unpleasant substance. It is the usual carrier for spray perfumes. It evaporates within moments of application.

Parfum or fragrance

The perfume concentrate — every aromatic material in the formula — named as a single ingredient. Cosmetics rules allow this, because formulas are trade secrets and a list of hundreds of materials would mean little to most people. In the United States the word is usually "fragrance"; in the EU and many other markets, "parfum".

Aqua

Water. Many perfumes contain a little.

Other functional ingredients

  • UV filters, such as ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate or benzophenone-type ingredients — protect the perfume from light.
  • Antioxidants, such as BHT — slow down oxidation.
  • Colourants, given as CI numbers (CI 14700, CI 19140 and so on) — tint the liquid.
  • Solvents or fixatives such as dipropylene glycol, sometimes.

The named fragrance substances

After these come names such as linalool, limonene, citral, citronellol, geraniol, coumarin, eugenol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl salicylate, hydroxycitronellal and others. These are individual molecules or natural extracts that are part of the "parfum", named separately because regulators require it.

Why those substances are named

Some fragrance materials can cause allergic contact reactions in people who have become sensitised to them. To help those people avoid them, EU cosmetics law has for many years required 24 such substances and two natural extracts — the "26 allergens" — to be named on the label when present above set concentrations: 0.001 percent in products left on the skin, such as perfume, and 0.01 percent in products rinsed off.

In 2023 the EU expanded that list considerably, by Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, to more than 80 substances. Products newly placed on the EU market have had to follow the expanded list since 31 July 2026; products already on sale before then may remain on sale until 31 July 2028. So you will increasingly see longer lists, with names you may not have seen before. Other markets have their own rules: the United Kingdom, for example, has not simply copied the EU’s expanded list, and the United States does not yet require fragrance allergens to be named on the label in the same way.

The ingredient list is written for the few people who need to avoid a substance — not as a recipe for everyone else.

What the list does not tell you

  • Not the formula. Proportions are not given, and most materials are hidden within "parfum".
  • Not natural or synthetic. Linalool, for example, occurs naturally in lavender, bergamot and many other plants and is also made synthetically; it is named either way. A list full of these names does not mean a perfume is "full of chemicals", and a short list does not mean a perfume is natural. See Is Natural Perfume Better Than Synthetic?.
  • Not quality or safety. The named substances are permitted ingredients. They are named so that sensitised people can avoid them, not because they are unsafe for everyone.
  • Not the notes. A note list describes how a perfume smells; the ingredient list follows labelling rules. They are different documents. See Are Perfume Notes Real Ingredients?.

If you have a fragrance allergy

If a dermatologist has identified a specific fragrance allergen, the ingredient list is exactly the tool you need: check it for that name before buying, and ask the brand if the packaging is missing. Patch testing and diagnosis are matters for a doctor, not for a perfume counter.

Common questions

Why does my perfume list limonene if it doesn’t smell of lemon?

Limonene occurs in many natural materials, not only citrus, and small amounts may be present for many reasons. It is named because it is on the regulated list, not because it dominates the scent.

Why is "fragrance" one word when perfume has so many ingredients?

Because labelling rules allow the composition to be declared as a single ingredient, apart from the substances that must be named individually.

Do all perfumes have to list allergens?

That depends on where they are sold. The rules described here apply in the EU; other markets differ.

Sources and further reading

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Annex III; Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amending it as regards the labelling of fragrance allergens. For brands and perfumers, RUŌOD Lab sets out the full list in The Fragrance Allergens List, the labelling rule and its arithmetic in EU Fragrance Allergen Labelling, and labelling across markets in Perfume Ingredient Labeling.