Chapter 8: Fragrance · Part 1: The listed fragrance allergens
Coumarin
- Contaminant risk
The worst fact: in sensitive people, even small amounts can damage the liver, usually reversibly. The safe daily limit is reached with about 2 g of cassia cinnamon a day for a 60 kg adult.
Why brands use it: it smells of fresh hay and vanilla.
Take care if: you have a fragrance allergy.
Comes from: naturally in cassia cinnamon and tonka beans. The coumarin in cosmetics is made in a factory.
Myth check: nil.
Contaminants: commercial grades can carry 6-chlorocoumarin, which made them weak to moderate allergens. In an animal test, pure coumarin wasn't an allergen, though it still causes allergy in some people.
Fair to say: the liver risk is mainly about eating it, mostly in cinnamon. Skin products add a little; smelling it doesn't.
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
- Australian Government. Poisons Standard October 2026 (F2026L01327): citral, lemongrass oil, eugenol, isoeugenol, coumarin.
- Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS). hcis.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). FAQ on coumarin in cinnamon and other foods.
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 8.