Eugenol IFRA Limits by Category, With the Maths Worked Out
The IFRA Standard on eugenol answers one question: given a finished product in one of twelve categories, what is the most eugenol that product may contain? It does not limit what you buy, store or hold in a concentrate, which is why the same 8% eugenol concentrate can pass in one product and fail in another. Below is the arithmetic first, then the full limit table exactly as printed in the 51st Amendment, then the traps that catch makers.
The maths before the table
Take an invented concentrate that is 8% eugenol by weight. The 8% is chosen for easy arithmetic and describes no real product, and none of these examples is a tested recipe. Eugenol in the finished product equals the concentrate's eugenol share multiplied by the concentrate's dose. The ceiling dose is the limit divided by 8%.
| Finished product (IFRA category) | Concentrate dose | Eugenol in product | Limit | Result | Ceiling dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine fragrance (4) | 18% | 1.44% | 2.5% | Under | 31% |
| Bar soap (9) | 3% | 0.24% | 4.9% | Under | 61% |
| Body oil (5A) | 10% | 0.80% | 0.64% | Over | 8% |
| Reed diffuser (10A) | 25% | 2.0% | 4.0% | Under | 50% |
The body oil is the one that fails, and it fails at a dose that would look modest on a label. Candles of all types sit in Category 12, where the eugenol Standard prints "No restriction", so there is no ceiling to calculate from this document. That does not mean nothing applies to a candle; it means this particular Standard sets no number. If you are working out your own dose, the blend calculation article and the soap usage-rate article go deeper on the conversion.
The Standard as printed
This is the "MAXIMUM ACCEPTABLE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT (%)" block of the IFRA Standard on eugenol, CAS 97-53-0, publication 2023 (Amendment 51), recommendation "RESTRICTION" (IFRA Standards, 51st Amendment, pp. 103-105). Product examples in the right-hand column come from IFRA's Guidance (Table 12 and its category list), and we give an example only where we read one.
| Category | Limit | Example the Guidance lists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.45% | Lip products |
| 2 | 0.14% | Products applied to the axillae |
| 3 | 1.0% | Face products applied with fingertips; body and face paint |
| 4 | 2.5% | Fine fragrance; aftershave |
| 5A | 0.64% | Body creams, oils and lotions |
| 5B, 5C | 0.64% each | Face and body leave-on products applied by hand |
| 5D | 0.21% | Baby cream, lotion, oil and powder |
| 6 | 1.5% | Oral and lip exposure |
| 7A, 7B | 2.0% each | Hair products (hair perfume is 7B) |
| 8 | 0.21% | Significant anogenital exposure, such as baby wipes |
| 9 | 4.9% | Rinse-off with body and hand exposure, such as bar soap |
| 10A | 4.0% | Household care, mostly hand contact; reed diffusers |
| 10B | 18% | Household care including sprays; manual air fresheners |
| 11A, 11B | 0.21% each | Intended skin contact, minimal transfer from an inert substrate |
| 12 | No restriction | Candles; incense; products not intended for skin contact |
Categories 1 and 6 carry an extra condition: because small amounts may be swallowed, the material must also be recognised as safe as a flavouring ingredient under the IOFI Code of Practice. We do not offer our material for those uses. The Standard also gives implementation dates, 30 March 2024 for new creations and 30 October 2025 for existing ones, and the footnote says they apply to the supply of fragrance mixtures only, not to finished products already on the market. The previous eugenol publications were in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2020.
Where a limit comes from
IFRA's Guidance describes the method in outline: a benchmark for sensitisation (the NESIL, the No Expected Sensitization Induction Level), safety factors, and a consumer exposure level for each product type, from which an acceptable exposure level is calculated and compared with the exposure (IFRA Guidance, 51st Amendment, section 3). Since the 49th Amendment the dermal-sensitisation limits use QRA2 with the twelve categories, and the limit printed is the lowest of the QRA2 figure and a systemic-toxicity figure. The eugenol Standard names both endpoints as driving the risk management. We did not retrieve eugenol's NESIL; it sits in the RIFM safety assessment that the Standard points to, so we cannot tell you which endpoint is binding in which category.
The method changed the numbers. In 2012 the EU's scientific committee tabled the then-current IFRA eugenol values as 0.2% for deodorant, 0.5% for hand cream and 0.5% for perfume (SCCS/1459/11, Table 11-1). Today's table gives 0.14% for underarm products and 2.5% for fine fragrance. Nobody should quote the 2012 figure now, and any article, label or shop page still carrying "half a percent" deserves a check against the current table. Ours is one of them: our How We Test page says guidance puts the leave-on ceiling around half a percent, and our shop copy says 0.5% to 2% in a carrier for skin. Neither is the category row for your product.
Four traps
Neat oil versus finished product. The limit is on the finished product. A supplier's certificate for a fragrance mixture tells you the mixture complies when used at stated doses, not that your dose is right.
Eugenol you did not add on purpose. The Guidance says limits apply "regardless of whether the restricted substance is added directly or indirectly", and indirect contributions from natural complex substances must be counted. IFRA publishes an indicative annex of typical natural contents, intended for use when you lack analytical data, and an analysed level replaces the indicative one. Reasoning from that rule, a blend of eugenol plus clove or cinnamon leaf oil needs the eugenol in both lines added together.
The category is the decision. Reed diffusers were moved to 10A on purpose, the Guidance says, because soaked reeds get handled. Yet IFRA's own 2026 consultation letter refers to "Category 10B products, such as reed diffusers", where the Guidance's Table 12 says 10A. Two IFRA documents do not agree, and for eugenol the gap is 4.0% against 18%. We cannot resolve it; use the lower figure and ask a regulatory specialist.
An IFRA certificate is a supplier's statement. The Guidance says the Certificate of Conformity is established by the fragrance mixture maker, rests on "a trusting relationship", and that IFRA "takes on no responsibility" for certificates. It also says anybody familiar with the Code and Standards can issue one, so non-members can too. Our site does not publish an IFRA certificate or SDS; ask any supplier for theirs.
IFRA versus the law
IFRA calls the Standards the "self-regulating system of the industry", and they are mandatory for IFRA members (IFRA, 2023). The enforceable rules are national or regional, such as the EU labelling rules in our allergen labelling article. Observing the Standards, in IFRA's words, "may not be sufficient to ensure regulatory compliance". The wider picture is in the safety and compliance guide, and the entry-level coverage is in the bench dilution article.
How you would check your own formula
- Name the product and find its row in IFRA's Table 12; if it is not there, stop and ask a specialist.
- Get the SDS and IFRA certificate for every fragrance ingredient, and a GC analysis of the eugenol material. Our published COA lists physical parameters for one batch and no assay, so it cannot support this step on its own.
- Write the formula in percent of the finished product, including any natural oils that carry eugenol.
- Sum the eugenol, compare it with the category row, and note the amendment number and date you used.
No test data from us is published here; this is the method, not a result.
What changes next
The 52nd Amendment consultation closed on 12 June 2026, and IFRA's letter of 31 August 2026 expects the final notification around January 2027, taking effect 11 months later for new creations and 30 months later for existing ones. It lists 48 new restriction Standards and 15 revised ones, and does not mention eugenol. As the 2012 comparison above shows, limits change with amendments, so check the current one before you rely on this table.
We sell eugenol oil undiluted, which means the category and the dose are your decisions. A regulatory specialist or cosmetic chemist should sign off anything you sell, and a toxicologist is the person to ask about combined exposure.
Sources & Further Reading
- IFRA, 2024. The complete IFRA Standards, up to and including the 51st Amendment (eugenol, pp. 103-105). ifrafragrance.org Standards PDF
- IFRA, 2023. Guidance for the use of IFRA Standards, 51st Amendment. ifrafragrance.org Guidance PDF
- IFRA, 2023. Notification of the 51st Amendment. ifrafragrance.org press release
- IFRA, 2026. End of Consultation Letter, 52nd Amendment. ifrafragrance.org news
- SCCS, 2012. Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11). ec.europa.eu SCCS opinion