Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Lyral · HICC
What it is
A synthetic aldehyde built to copy the fresh lily-of-the-valley scent. It was one of the most popular floral fragrance chemicals on earth until Europe banned it outright.
In this product: Fragrance. Supplies a fresh green muguet (lily-of-the-valley) floral note in fine fragrance and rinse-off products.
Dose & route, what actually matters
The harm is allergic contact dermatitis from repeated leave-on skin exposure. Europe did not ban it over a trace, it banned it because daily use across many products sensitised so many people that its own committee said no safe use remained.
EUROPEAN UNION
BANNED. Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1410 added HICC to Annex II (prohibited substances). Not placed on the EU market from 23 August 2019; full sell-through ban from 23 August 2021. Basis: SCCS opinion SCCS/1459/11.
UNITED STATES
No restriction. May legally appear in US cosmetics, undeclared, inside “Fragrance.”
The evidence
Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1410 added HICC (Lyral) to Annex II, prohibiting it in all EU cosmetics, with placement-on-market banned from 23 August 2019 and full market withdrawal by 23 August 2021.
regulatory · 2017 · source
The SCCS opinion SCCS/1459/11 concluded HICC was among the fragrance allergens causing the highest number of contact-allergy cases and should not be used in cosmetic products.
regulatory · 2012 · source
California Prop 65: Not listed.
How to avoid it
EU-compliant products sold since 2021 should be free of it. In the US, look for “Lyral” or “Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde,” or choose brands with full fragrance disclosure. People with fragrance dermatitis should patch-test products bought outside the EU.
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.