Press release -
EU Commission reviews fragrance allergens program
The second Annual Review of the IDEA Project (International Dialogue for the Evaluation of Allergens) was organized in Luxembourg by DG SANCO (Directorate C, Health) on December 17th.
The IDEA project is a multi-stakeholder process designed to provide a broadly agreed and transparent framework for assessing fragrance sensitizers globally. It is a unique opportunity to build partnerships between experts from the industry and leading academia to improve the risk assessment of those fragrance ingredients identified as allergens, allowing better consumer protection.
IDEA consists of a series of workshops, six so far, bringing leading international scientists together to reach consensus on improving existing methodologies. Recommendations made at the workshops are then followed up through dedicated task forces and research projects. Every year, since this is a long-term project, an Annual Review takes place to monitor and validate progress and update the program and priorities.
“We are confident after two years, that IDEA is the transparent platform for communication, bringing together diverse views from all stakeholders, fostering mutual understanding and collectively defining actions for the future,” explained Pierre Sivac, IFRA President.
“This project requires a lot of hard work from everyone involved; the wider scientific and medical communities who are participating, the experts from industry and the small, dedicated team at IFRA,” said Professor Jim Bridges, Chairman of the IDEA Supervisory Group. “We believe in this dialogue and we believe that together we can develop globally acceptable risk assessment approaches for all substances suspected of being skin sensitizers.”
The EU Commission services representative stated that; “The IDEA project represents an exceptional opportunity with regard to the content, that of contact allergy, and to the process under which the work is being conducted. The Commission services welcome the work done to better characterize, define and understand contact allergy in the scope of consumer products, and primarily cosmetics. Working on a common platform builds the trust and reinforces the will to progress constructively between parties.”
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The International Fragrance Association, founded in 1973, represents the interests of the fragrance industry worldwide. IFRA comprises seven multinational Regular Members and 21 national associations in four global regions representing hundreds of small and medium-sized fragrance ingredient manufacturers, as well as supporting members. Its mission is to promote the safe use of fragrance for everyone’s enjoyment.
Fragrances are a key platform technology used by consumer goods companies – for fine fragrances, personal care products, household care and more.
IFRA’s flagship safe use program, the IFRA Standards, applies safety management measures based on scientific assessment and the evaluations of an independent Expert Panel. The program is at the heart of the IFRA Code of Practice, which applies to all IFRA members globally, including members of IFRA’s 21 national associations. The Code also requires members to abide by local, national and international regulation, and to apply good manufacturing practices.
