Chapter 8: Fragrance · Part 1: The listed fragrance allergens
Isoeugenol
- Officially classed skin allergen
The worst fact: the WHO's cancer agency rates it "possibly carcinogenic to humans", after it caused liver tumours in male mice, and Australia classes it "Suspected of causing cancer". The EU caps it at 0.02% in cosmetics.
Why brands use it: it smells of spicy clove.
Take care if: you have a fragrance allergy.
Comes from: made from eugenol. It also occurs in many plants and in wood smoke.
Myth check: nil.
Contaminants: nil.
Fair to say: Australia exempts skin products at 0.02% or less, the same as the EU limit.
Correct as of November 2026. What the badges mean
Sources
- 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
- 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
- IARC Monographs vol. 134 (isoeugenol, 2023). US NTP Technical Report 551 (isoeugenol).
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 8.