At the 23rd Regulatory Issues Conference - Perfumes & Cosmetics held by Cosmetic Valley on November 19 and 20, 2025, Frédéric Lebreux, Head of Human Safety Sciences at Givaudan, presented an overview of fragrance ingredients “under the spotlight” in Europe, whether or not they are targeted for classification as CMRs.
Currently, fragrance ingredients face several sources of restrictions in Europe. Frédéric Lebreux began by presenting those that are not related to CMR classifications.
The “Ingredients” Omnibus II
The speaker, who is far from lacking in humor, wanted to introduce Jack Jerk to the conference attendees, “the guy at the European Commission who introduced the concept of omnibus. Jack has two passions in life: trains and annoying people. And now we have omnibuses everywhere. We have ingredients omnibus, nanomaterials omnibus, CMRs omnibus, simplifications omnibus… It’s getting a little complicated to keep track of it all.”
This “Ingredients” Omnibus is the second of its kind, following the first in 2022. It was notified in July 2025 and covers 12 cosmetic ingredients. It is scheduled for publication in the first quarter of 2026. Two of its new entries concern fragrance ingredients, as well as two updated entries.
Acetylated vetiver essential oil
“This ingredient has a long history in the regulatory process,” Frédéric Lebreux emphasized. Due to its skin sensitizing and respiratory irritant properties, it will ultimately be included in Annex III of the Cosmetics Regulation, with thresholds defined by product category, in accordance with the recommendations of …
