Parfum

What it is

Parfum is not a substance but a collective term. Behind that single word there may be a mixture of a few to several hundred individual substances. Which ones is not stated in the list — the composition counts as a trade secret of the fragrance house and is not disclosed.

For a lexicon that assesses substances this is a limit, not carelessness. Only what is known can be assessed. That is why this record carries the result “unclear” and the data situation “insufficient” — not because nothing is known, but because the decisive information is missing. Part of the mixture does at least become visible: individual fragrance components such as linalool, limonene or citronellol appear in the same lists expressly alongside the word parfum.

Why

• Why the result reads “unclear” and not “low risk”: a risk statement requires knowing which substance is present in what amount. Both are entirely missing here. A reassuring verdict would be just as undocumented as a warning one. The honest answer is to name the gap.
• Origin corrected: until 10.09.2026 the short field named “natural” as the origin. A fragrance mixture can consist of essential oils, of synthetically produced individual substances or — as a rule — of both. Without knowledge of the composition the origin cannot be determined. The short field therefore now reads “unclear” in all four languages.
• Fragrances are nevertheless the best-studied area of cosmetic allergy. There is a reason why they in particular are tested routinely in dermatology clinics: they are among the most frequent triggers of allergic contact eczema from cosmetics. That is a statement about the substance group, not about any particular product.
• Part of the mixture is visible. In the same ingredient lists individual fragrance components appear under their own names — in this lexicon linalool, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, citral, eugenol, benzyl salicylate and alpha-isomethyl ionone. Anyone wanting to know what fragrance a product contains will find more there than under the word parfum.
• With a known fragrance allergy, a product without the entry parfum is the only piece of information that can be derived from the list with certainty. Everything else presupposes knowledge of the mixture. That is the practical consequence of this record.

When the assessment differs

• Known fragrance allergy: then the missing information is not an academic problem but the heart of the matter.
• Existing eczema or atopic dermatitis: on pre-damaged skin the threshold for sensitisation is lower.
• Children: fragrances in products for children are considered separately in the specialist literature.
• Occupational contact: daily contact with many different fragrance mixtures means a multitude of unknown individual substances on the hands.
• Products that stay on hair and skin: with styling products the contact time does not end with rinsing.

Open questions

• Composition of the fragrance mixture: not disclosed. That is the reason for the result “unclear” and cannot be closed without information from the manufacturer.
• Total amount of fragrance in the product: not available.
• Rules on naming particular fragrance components individually: they exist, and they are the reason why linalool and limonene become visible at all. Their wording and thresholds have not been checked here and are not quoted second-hand.
• Frequency of fragrance allergies in the general population: not backed by figures here.
• Whether the mixture in a specific product has aged since filling: not determinable. Why that matters is set out under linalool, limonene and citronellol.

Related substances

Applies to: Fragrance materials

• Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone — Fragrance or declarable fragrance allergen
• Benzyl Salicylate — Fragrance or declarable fragrance allergen
• Citronellol — Fragrance
• Limonene — Fragrance

Further substances from the same group for which a long-form assessment already exists.