Disappointing experience requesting IFRA documentation…read more
I was considering purchasing Vampire Blood fragrance oil from Aroma & Evasion and contacted them before ordering to request the current IFRA Certificate of Conformity showing maximum usage levels by category.
As a small business owner who makes wax melts, candles, car diffusers, aroma bead sachets and other scented products, having access to current IFRA information is extremely important to me. I need to know whether a fragrance oil is appropriate for my intended applications and what its maximum permitted usage levels are before purchasing and formulating with it.
I initially asked whether they provide IFRA documents and was told, "We provide IFRA documents on request. Please tell us which fragrance oil you're interested in so we can share its current IFRA with you."
I replied that I was interested in Vampire Blood.
Instead of receiving the document, I was then told that Vampire Blood is a fragrance and that "normally IFRA is provided for essential oil," and was asked what I was looking for.
I clarified that I was requesting the current IFRA Certificate of Conformity for their Vampire Blood fragrance oil, specifically the maximum usage levels for IFRA Categories 1-12, and explained why I needed this information.
I was then asked for my business name and told they needed to know who I was before providing their "laboratory information."
I explained again that I was a small business owner making multiple scented products and that I simply needed to determine whether this particular fragrance oil was suitable for the products I wanted to use it in. I also explained that my other fragrance-oil suppliers make this information available on their product pages or provide it upon request.
Their response continued to focus on protected laboratory/industrial information. They said they would send a protected copy by email, but by this point it still appeared that my request was being misunderstood.
To make my request completely clear, I provided an example of an IFRA Certificate of Conformity from another fragrance-oil supplier showing the usage percentages by IFRA category.
Rather than simply acknowledging what I was requesting, the response I received criticized the example certificate I had provided, saying it was modified, incomplete and missing information.
At that point, I ended the conversation.
To be clear, I was never asking for a proprietary fragrance formula, confidential laboratory information, ingredient suppliers or trade secrets. I was asking for the IFRA usage information for a fragrance oil I was considering purchasing so that I could determine whether it was suitable for my intended finished products.
What should have been a straightforward request for product documentation became an unnecessarily frustrating interaction.
I take the safety and responsible formulation of the products I sell seriously, and having reasonable access to current product documentation is an important part of choosing my suppliers. I have never experienced this level of difficulty obtaining IFRA information from my other fragrance-oil suppliers.
Unfortunately, this interaction left me without confidence that Aroma & Evasion is a supplier I would be comfortable relying on for my business, so I chose not to place an order.
I'm sharing my experience so that other makers who rely on IFRA documentation when selecting fragrance oils can make an informed decision about whether this supplier is the right fit for them.
