Chapter 8: Fragrance · Part 1: The listed fragrance allergens
Cinnamal
- Officially classed skin allergen
- Made from a hazardous chemical
The worst fact: it's a common fragrance allergen, and in rare cases it has caused severe immediate reactions (anaphylaxis).
Why brands use it: it smells strongly of cinnamon.
Take care if: you have a fragrance allergy.
Comes from: made in a factory from benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Australia classes acetaldehyde as "May cause cancer". That doesn't mean it's in the product, but it's not a great starting point for something you clean with.
Myth check: "it's just cinnamon": most commercial cinnamal is made in a factory.
Contaminants: nil.
Fair to say: in North American clinics the rate went from 5.9% (1984) to 3.6% (2000), though researchers found no significant trend.
Correct as of November 2026. What the badges mean
Sources
- Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, SCCS/1459/11 (2012); opinion on butylphenyl methylpropional (Lilial), SCCS/1591/17; opinion on benzyl salicylate, SCCS/1656/23. health.ec.europa.eu
- Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS). hcis.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 8.