There is a comforting idea in skincare that “natural” means “gentle.” Europe’s regulators have just made it harder to believe. For once, that is useful rather than alarming.
What changed in the EU rules on fragrance allergens?
Quick Answer: In 2023 the EU expanded the list of fragrance ingredients that must be named individually on a cosmetic label from 24 to roughly 80 [Reg. (EU) 2023/1545]. That is about 56 additional ingredients, a large share of them essential oils and botanical extracts. The rule governs labelling only. No ingredient was prohibited.
Before this, a product could bundle most of its scent under one word on the ingredient list: Parfum. Only 24 specific fragrance allergens had to be broken out by name. Everything else stayed inside the bundle, which is why two products with completely different scent profiles could carry identical-looking labels.
The 2023 update roughly triples the list of named fragrance allergens. A cream that used to say “Parfum” may now spell out the individual fragrance components it contains [Reg. (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III].
Key takeaway: Your products did not become more allergenic. The label became more specific about what was already in them.
Which “natural” ingredients are now named?
Quick Answer: The newly declarable allergens include menthol, camphor, vanillin, lemongrass oil, eucalyptus oil, rose (Rosa damascena) oil, benzaldehyde and alpha-pinene [Reg. (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III]. Several are exactly the botanicals that wellness marketing treats as the gentle alternative to synthetic fragrance.
| Now named on the label | Where you will typically meet it |
|---|---|
| Menthol, Camphor | “Cooling” and soothing balms, muscle rubs, some cleansers |
| Vanillin | Vanilla scent, common in body care |
| Lemongrass oil, Eucalyptus oil | “Natural” and aromatherapy-positioned products |
| Rose (Rosa damascena) oil | Premium facial oils and mists |
| Benzaldehyde, alpha-Pinene | Occur across a range of essential oils |
None of this makes them bad. Plenty of people use rose oil and eucalyptus happily for years. But if your skin is reactive and you have been working on the assumption that essential oil means safe by default, this is worth knowing. Botanical is not a synonym for bland.
Key takeaway: If you have been choosing “natural” fragrance specifically to avoid irritation, the new labels give you something better than an assumption to work with.
Does this mean essential oils are bad for eczema-prone skin?
Quick Answer: No. This is a labelling requirement under Annex III of the EU cosmetics regulation, which sets conditions and disclosure rules. It is not Annex II, which is the prohibited list. Every one of these ingredients remains legal to sell and use across the EU.
This distinction matters more than it sounds, and it is the one most often lost online. European cosmetic ingredients sit in a tiered system. Annex II prohibits outright. Annex III restricts, sets maximum concentrations, or requires disclosure. Almost everything people describe as “banned in Europe” is restricted under Annex III. Still on shelves. Still legal.
Fragrance allergens are the mildest tier of that: not restricted at all, only declared. Europe did not decide these ingredients are dangerous. It decided that people who react to them deserve to see them named, so they can make their own call.
Key takeaway: Read this as a transparency upgrade, not a safety warning.
Why does fragrance matter more if you have eczema?
Quick Answer: Fragrance, whether synthetic or botanical, is the most common category of ingredient that sensitive skin reacts to. When the skin barrier is already compromised, more of what sits on the surface reaches the layers that can mount a reaction.
There is a second mechanism worth knowing, because it explains something that confuses a lot of people: a product that was fine for months starts to sting.
Some fragrance compounds change chemically on contact with air. Linalool and limonene are the usual examples. Fresh, they are unremarkable. But among people patch-tested for suspected allergy, the oxidised forms show up far more often than the fresh ones [NACDG 2019-2022]. This is why a jar that has spent a year open on a humid bathroom shelf can behave differently from the one you bought.
It is also why a longer ingredient list is not automatically a worse one. A label naming eight fragrance components tells you more than a label saying “Parfum,” and tells you nothing worse about the product.
Key takeaway: If a product turned on you after months of use, product age is a more likely explanation than a reformulation.
When do the new labels actually reach Malaysian shelves?
Quick Answer: New products entering the EU market must comply from 31 July 2026. Existing stock may remain on shelves until 31 July 2028 [Reg. (EU) 2023/1545]. For the next two years, old-style and new-style labels will sit side by side.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 31 July 2026 | New products placed on the EU market must carry the expanded allergen names |
| 31 July 2028 | Existing stock may no longer be made available; the transition closes |
Malaysia is not bound by EU cosmetics regulation, and it is worth saying that plainly. What reaches us is a mix: EU-labelled stock arriving through several import channels alongside product manufactured for other markets entirely. Expect the old and new label styles to coexist here for longer than the EU timeline suggests, and expect two jars of the same product bought six months apart to sometimes carry different-looking lists.
That is not a scandal. It is just how a market fed by multiple import channels works. It does mean the label in your hand is the only one that counts, which is the same advice we give in the full guide to reading a skincare label with eczema.
Key takeaway: Check the pack you actually own. Two units of the same product can carry different label styles during the transition.
You will not memorise eighty ingredient names, and you should not have to.
Imbas reads the label for you and tells you what is worth a second look for your skin specifically, and what is fine. We are launching soon.
Which fragrance ingredients get an undeserved bad reputation?
Quick Answer: Several ingredients that appear constantly on “avoid” lists have weaker evidence against them than their reputation suggests. Among people patch-tested for suspected allergy, lanolin reacts rarely, and dermatologists actively debate whether many positive results are clinically meaningful at all [PMC11355248].
This is where most “clean beauty” advice goes wrong, and it is worth being specific:
- Lanolin. Long treated as an eczema villain. General-population patch-test positivity sits around 1.6%, and its clinical relevance is contested [PMC11355248]. For most people it is a good moisturising ingredient.
- Propylene glycol. A fixture of avoid-lists. It reacts in a small minority, and the patch test itself is known to over-flag it [NACDG].
- Cocamidopropyl betaine. A mild coconut-derived cleansing agent. Where it does cause trouble, the culprit is usually a manufacturing impurity rather than the ingredient [PMC11187029].
One framing note on all of these figures: patch-test data comes from people already referred to a dermatologist for a suspected allergy. These are rates among people being tested, not rates among everyone.
If an app or an influencer flags all of the above red, that is not caution. It is noise. A useful flag is a rare one.
Key takeaway: Treat blanket avoid-lists with suspicion. The value is in the short list, not the long one.
What should you actually do about it?
Quick Answer: For most people, nothing. If your skin is settled, the expanded labels are simply better information you did not have before. If your skin is reactive, use the new names to look for patterns across the products that bother you.
If your routine is working, keep going. This rule did not change your favourite product. It changed what the label is willing to tell you about it.
If you get flares you cannot explain, the practical upside is real. When “Parfum” becomes a list of actual components, the products that bother you may turn out to share a component you can finally see. That is a pattern you can act on. It was invisible before.
And if you are hunting a trigger, the bathroom shelf is not the only place to look. Fragrance and preservatives live in laundry detergent, wet wipes, and plenty of other everyday products that touch skin all day. The same label-reading approach applies to a cleanser and a leave-on moisturiser, though what stays on your skin overnight deserves the closer read.
Key takeaway: Use the new names as a diagnostic tool if you need one, and ignore them comfortably if you do not.
Frequently asked questions
Did the EU ban essential oils in skincare?
No. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 is a labelling requirement under Annex III, not a prohibition under Annex II. Around 56 additional fragrance allergens now have to be named individually on the label instead of being bundled under “Parfum.” Every one of them remains legal to sell and use in the EU.
How many fragrance allergens must be listed on a label now?
Approximately 80, up from 24 before the 2023 update [Reg. (EU) 2023/1545]. The exact number you see on any given product depends on its formula. Most products contain only a handful of declarable allergens, so a typical label gains a few names rather than dozens.
When does the new labelling take effect?
New products entering the EU market must comply from 31 July 2026. Existing stock can remain available until 31 July 2028. During that window both label styles are legitimate, so a product without the expanded names is not out of date or non-compliant.
Does this apply to products sold in Malaysia?
Not directly. Malaysia has its own cosmetic regulations and is not bound by EU rules. In practice you will see EU-compliant labels here anyway, because many products are made for multiple markets on one production line. Expect a mix of old and new label styles for some years.
Are natural fragrances gentler than synthetic ones for eczema?
Not inherently. Botanical fragrance compounds can trigger a flare in reactive skin the same way synthetic ones can, which is precisely why so many of the newly declarable allergens are essential oils. What matters is which specific compounds your skin reacts to, not whether they came from a plant.
Why did a product I have used for years suddenly start stinging?
Product age is a common explanation. Some fragrance compounds, notably linalool and limonene, oxidise on exposure to air, and the oxidised forms are identified far more often in patch-tested patients than the fresh forms [NACDG 2019-2022]. A jar open for a year is chemically not quite the jar you bought.
The label got more honest. Reading it is still work.
Imbas is a label scanner for people who want the calm version: what is worth a second look for your concern, what is fine, and why, with the regulation cited. Launching soon.
General information, not medical advice. If your eczema is severe or persistent, see a doctor or dermatologist.
