Fragrance, parfum and essential oils: what the label tells you

Scent is often the first thing you notice about a soap, lotion or detergent, and the hardest thing to read on its label. Here's what "fragrance" and "parfum" mean, and why "natural" scents aren't automatically gentler.

What "parfum" means

India's Cosmetics Rules 2020 require an ingredient list on most personal-care products. But a fragrance can appear as one word, "fragrance" or "parfum," even if it's a mix of dozens of ingredients. That's legal, and it's common worldwide.

The EU has gone further. Since 2023, it has required 82 known fragrance allergens to be named individually on the label above very low levels. Some of these are natural extracts. Indian labels don't have to do this yet.

Who it matters for

Most people use scented products without any problem. A minority develop a contact allergy to fragrance ingredients. In a study that patch-tested over 3,000 randomly chosen adults across five European countries, about 1–3% reacted to standard fragrance tests, and women were affected about twice as often as men. The EU's scientific committee came to similar figures. Once someone is allergic, the allergy is usually lifelong, and avoiding the trigger is the main way to manage it. That's hard if the label just says "parfum."

Are essential oils better?

They're more transparent, and that's genuinely useful. "Lavender oil" tells you more than "parfum."

But essential oils aren't automatically gentler. They're made of the same kinds of scent molecules, such as limonene, linalool, citral and geraniol, and several are on the EU's allergen list. Some become stronger allergens as they age and oxidise in the bottle. Lavender and tea tree oils are well-documented examples, and so are limonene and linalool once they oxidise.

So the honest version is that a named essential oil is a better label, not necessarily a gentler product.

Practical tips if your skin reacts

• Patch test a new leave-on product on the inner arm for a few days before using it widely.
• Leave-on products, such as lotions and deodorants, matter more than rinse-off ones, such as shampoo and soap, because they stay on the skin.
• Old bottles of essential-oil products can become more irritating as the oils oxidise, so keep them closed, cool and away from light.
• If you keep reacting, a dermatologist can patch-test you to find the exact trigger.

Home care

Detergents and cleaners are less tightly regulated, and many don't publish a full list. A product sold as "lemon" or "ocean breeze" with no scent ingredient listed is missing information. Scent from laundry and cleaners can still reach your skin through clothes and surfaces.

How Everykind labels it

• Fragrance (parfum) (amber): a fragrance blend that isn't fully named.
• Essential oils (amber): scented with named essential oils. Worth knowing if you react to fragrance.
• Scent not listed (amber): sold as scented, but no scent appears in the ingredients.

None of these mean "avoid." They mean you can see what you're choosing. If you have sensitive or eczema-prone skin, or a known fragrance allergy, look for products without these tags.

Sources

• India Cosmetics Rules 2020: cdsco.gov.in
• EU Regulation 2023/1545 (fragrance allergens): eur-lex.europa.eu
• EDEN Fragrance Study, British Journal of Dermatology 2015: doi.org
• SCCS opinion on fragrance allergens 2012: health.ec.europa.eu
• de Groot & Schmidt, tea tree oil allergy, Contact Dermatitis 2016: doi.org
• Limonene and linalool hydroperoxides review, Contact Dermatitis 2022: doi.org