Fragrance (Parfum)
What it is
A proprietary blend of scent chemicals, potentially dozens, disclosed on a US label as a single word.
In this product: Scent.
Dose & route, what actually matters
Risk depends entirely on what’s inside the blend, which is exactly what you’re not allowed to know. Inhaled as aerosol and absorbed through skin.
EUROPEAN UNION
The EU forces 81 named fragrance allergens to be listed individually above threshold (Reg. (EU) 2023/1545). The same scent under its EU brand name discloses six of them on-pack.
UNITED STATES
“Fragrance” is a protected trade secret under the 1973 Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. No components need disclosure.
The evidence
The FDA has identified Lilial among the most common fragrance allergens; it can appear in US products under “Fragrance” with no label disclosure.
regulatory · 2022 · source
How to avoid it
“Fragrance-free” is the only label word that closes the black box. “Unscented” does not.
Where it hides
Editorial analysis of publicly available regulatory and peer-reviewed sources. Not medical advice. We name our evidence and link it, including when an ingredient is fine.