EU ban could be set to change perfume industry

Chanel No 5 is one of the most popular perfumes in the world. It was first introduced in 1921 and the company is proud of the fact the formula has changed very little in the intervening years.

While it has been necessary to replace some elements as it became known they may cause harmful side-effects, it has been possible to introduce alternatives without altering the overall appeal of the perfume.

However, the company fears it may be required to make significant changes to the formula following the introduction of new European Union regulations.

Oak moss is a key ingredient in Chanel No 5 and other popular fragrances - including Dior's Miss Dior - but has been found to contain atranol and chloroatranol, which have been identified as potential allergenics.

These two molecules, along with the synthetic HICC, known as lyral, have been found to cause dermatitis in between one and three per cent of the population, and have been added to the proscribed list.

The issue was first raised in a report by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) in 2012 - which highlighted 12 potentially harmful ingredients - and the EU regulations take effect early in 2015, causing the perfume industry to seek out safe alternative compounds, able to maintain the scent customers know and love, but that do not have a significant impact on the company's bottom line.

Perfume formulas are not considered to be intellectual property and so do not receive such protections. Instead, they are industrial formulas that can be freely duplicated. However, sales data indicates consumers always seem to notice when a scent has been altered, even if the manufacturer does not disclose any changes.

Anecdotal evidence among parfumeries suggests customers often prove to be extremely sensitive to the most miniscule differences in natural scent oils, even those that gas chromatographs cannot pick up.

With the market for the industry's high-end products worth a total of $25 billion globally and predicted to rise to $45.6 billion by 2018, it comes as no surprise the development of alternatives to the banned molecules has quickly become such a priority.

A spokesperson for Chanel said: "Adapting is a challenge but it is precisely the talent of our 'nose' to be able to preserve the qualities and olfactive identity of our perfumes, while also taking into account new regulatory constraints."

While atranol, chloroatranol and HICC are currently set to be the only three molecules prohibited from early 2015, investigations are ongoing into nine others used in the perfumes industry including citral, found in lemon and tangerine oils; coumarin, found in tropical tonka beans; and eugenol, found in rose oil.

Through its Endeavour Chemicals division, Robinson Brothers has more than 20 years' experience of developing High Impact Aroma chemicals and has the expertise and equipment to manufacture molecules with the correct regulatory status. To learn more about our offerings, contact [email protected]