Chapter 8: Fragrance · Part 1: The listed fragrance allergens
HICC (Lyral)
- Officially classed skin allergen
The worst fact: from 1999 to 2011 it was the most frequently reported fragrance allergen, with about 1,500 published cases. Europe's safety committee said it isn't safe "even at concentrations as low as 200 ppm". Cosmetics with it couldn't be put on the EU market from August 2019, and had to be off shelves by August 2021. Australia also classes it "May cause harm to breast-fed children".
Why brands use it: a floral, lily-of-the-valley note.
Take care if: you have a fragrance allergy.
Comes from: it's a synthetic scent chemical.
Myth check: "bans don't change anything": in German-speaking clinics, allergy to it halved between 2012 and 2021 (1.8% to 0.9%), and researchers call the EU ban "an effective measure".
Contaminants: nil.
Fair to say: allergy to it was already falling before the ban.
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
- European Commission. Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 Annexes II and III; Regulations (EU) 2017/1410 (HICC, atranol, chloroatranol), 2020/1182 (CLP: Lilial Repr. 1B), 2021/1902 (Lilial ban), 2023/1545 (fragrance allergen labelling), 2026/909 (benzyl salicylate). eur-lex.europa.eu
- Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS). hcis.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
- Geier J et al. HICC allergy after the EU ban. 2024 (PMID 38146081).
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 8.