Fragrance plays an important role in cosmetics and personal care products, serving as an essential input into products that nurture skin health and hygiene, empower self-expression and confidence, and deliver generational delight to people every day. Perfumery & Flavorist+ connected with the Fragrance Creators Association (Fragrance Creators) team to discuss the current state of cosmetic ingredients in the fragrance realm.
What is the current state of cosmetic ingredients in the fragrance realm? Any driving factors shaping consumer demands and/or policy you are witnessing?
Across product categories, we see more people searching online for information about the ingredients in the products they purchase. Fragrance Creators supports a person’s right to know and understand the information they are seeking, and we see this as a major opportunity to build consumer confidence by delivering high quality, accessible consumer education. This is why we continue to update The Fragrance Conservatory to include information on the history, safety, and stewardship of the fragrance industry, and also ingredient profiles that detail the scents, origins, synonyms, safety profiles and more of individual ingredients.
Fragrance Creators has been engaging closely with stakeholders, including the FDA and allied trades, to prepare for various fragrance-related aspects of the law, including a requirement for fragrance allergen disclosure.Adobe Stock
What are some of the main challenges or concerns in the cosmetic ingredients category as it relates to fragrance?
The passage of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) in 2022 brought with it many changes to the cosmetic industry broadly and presented opportunities for fragrance in this area. While only one part of the broader law, implementation of the fragrance-related provisions of MoCRA represents a groundbreaking opportunity for us to advocate for regulations that are innovative and collaborative, with the consumer and the environment at the heart of all the work, leveraging technology to meet the needs of today while also allowing room to meet the needs of tomorrow.
Can you share a little background of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act in layman's terms? What is the current status of the act?
MoCRA was the first update to the federal cosmetics regulatory landscape in over 80 years. It created a modern cosmetics regulatory framework designed to advance sound science, safety, innovation, and consumer confidence. It was signed into law in December 2022 and since then, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has worked to implement the new regulatory requirements. Fragrance Creators has been engaging closely with stakeholders, including the FDA and allied trades, to prepare for various fragrance-related aspects of the law, including a requirement for fragrance allergen disclosure. We are preparing well in advance of the rulemaking’s publication, which should occur in June 2024.
Can you share some details regarding some of the current efforts Fragrance Creators is making to engage with Congress and policymakers on the fragrance regulatory front?
Fragrance Creators uses data driven insights and a holistic advocacy approach for all our priority issues, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in Congress, at the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce, the U.S. Trade Representative, and in the White House National Economic Council to ensure that leaders across the entire federal government understand the importance of fragrance and the impacts various regulatory proposals can have on our section as well as on consumers. We continue to grow the Congressional Fragrance Caucus, a bipartisan platform for Congress to focus on issues that matter to the fragrance value chain. The Caucus focuses on a variety of high-priority issues, including implementation of the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, and key tax and trade issues. Outside of the Caucus, Fragrance Creators regularly meets with Congressional leaders to discuss our priority issues, like funding for bill implementation, key tax incentives for research and development activities, and more.
Finally, how can the fragrance industry get involved with these efforts?
Join and actively engage with Fragrance Creators—from commercial leaders, to R&D, to public affairs, to regulatory, to communications, perfumers, sales, and more—diversity of perspective is both welcome and advantageous! We provide our members with access to Members of Congress, regulators, related industries, and others to ensure their voices are heard on key legislative, regulatory, and consumer-related matters. We hold exclusive members-only meetings with staff and leadership at key federal agencies to shape regulations, bring our members with us during advocacy events on Capitol Hill, and educate about the science and artistry behind fragrance during our Perfumery Event. This is all made possible through member expertise and information sharing. We encourage all companies along the fragrance value chain to get involved with Fragrance Creators to ensure that industry is speaking with one consistent voice to advance policy that is good for people, perfume, and the planet.
Across product categories, we see more people searching online for information about the ingredients in the products they purchase.Adobe Stock
