Phthalates in Fragrance Oils

Recently, safety concerns have been raised in congress and in the media about substances called phthalates. Although one type of phthalate is commonly used in fragrance oils, it is NOT the kind that has had safety concerns.
The kind used in FOs is diethyl phthalate (DEP); the types of questionable safety are dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP). The latter two chemicals are used in some plastics, not in fragrance oils; they make plastics better able to bend without breaking.


The IRFA is the International Fragrance Association. It establishes safety guidelines for fragrance materials. You can see their official position on the use of DEP by viewing the articles available on their website here. The RIFM (Research Institute for Fragrance Materials) is the primary U.S. authority on fragrance material safety. All of The Scent Shack's manufacturers follow IFRA and RIFM guidelines.

About 3/4 of our FOs contain DEP. None contain any other types of phthalates. For those who want to pass this information on to their customers, here is a list of the FOs we carry that do NOT contain DEP (and thus, no phthalates). Please feel free to email with any questions.

Bayberry Spice
Black Cherry
Blueberry
Brown Sugar
Citrus Splash
Coconut
Cornucopia
Dutch Chocolate
Freesia
Gingerbread
Heather
Lilac
Mistletoe
Pomegranate
Sage Leaf
Secret Garden
Whispers of Bay