Decoded Korea

Most cosmetic products contain fragrance. A typical perfume or scented moisturizer uses dozens of individual fragrance compounds, blended together and listed on the label as a single word: "Parfum" or "Fragrance." That single word is about to get a lot more specific — in the EU, at least. EU Regulation 2023/1545, published in July 2023, expanded the list of fragrance allergens that must be individually named on cosmetic product labels from 24 to 80. New products placed on the EU market must comply by July 31, 2026. Existing products already on shelves have until July 31, 2028. We checked our 10-country regulatory database to see how many of these allergens are regulated elsewhere. What changed in the EU Before 2023, the EU required individual labeling for 24 fragrance allergens. If a product contained Linalool above 0.001% in a leave-on product (or 0.01% in a rinse-off product), the label had to say "Linalool" — not just "Parfum." Regulati...