Allergenic substances

Requirements of the 7th amendment 

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have considered that certain substances have been identified as an important cause of contact-allergy reactions in fragrance-sensitive consumers. In order to ensure that such consumers are adequately informed, it is therefore necessary to amend the provisions of Directive 76-768-EEC to require that the presence of these substances be mentioned in the list of ingredients. This information will improve the diagnosis of contact allergies among such consumers and will enable them to avoid the use of cosmetic products which they do not tolerate.

Out of the 26 allergenic substances added to Annex III, Part I, of the Directive 76-768-EEC by the 7th amendment, only 16 can be found in plants and, therefore, concern botanical ingredients.

Among the 10 others:

• 8 are synthetic,
• 2 are botanic species themselves.

Summarized Results of the UNITIS studies

Following its philosophy OPTIMUM versus MAXIMUM, UNITIS applied to allergenic substances (concerned by the 7th amendment) a progressive determination of the realities through several steps:

• Possible presence of allergens in botanicals,
• Professional experience,
• Scientific knowledge,
• Internal or external dosages.

A special Task Force of UNITIS first studied 315 plants/parts of plants from which a practical tool was put at its members' disposal.

A scheme summarizes results as follows: