IFRA Certificate vs SDS: What Each One Tells a Candle Maker

The IFRA certificate says how much of one fragrance oil you can use in each kind of product, up to a named IFRA Amendment. The safety data sheet (SDS) describes the oil itself: its hazards, its hazardous ingredients, its flash point and how to handle it. They answer different questions, so I keep both for every oil, and I keep the current version of each. I am a candle maker, not a lawyer, and this is how I read the papers, not legal advice.

What does each paper tell me?

Both come from your fragrance supplier. IFRA's guidance says it "does not elaborate the Certificates of Conformity and there is no certifying company providing Certificates of Conformity on behalf of IFRA." ECHA, the EU chemicals agency, calls the SDS the one "provided by the supplier."

The certificate "confirms that a specific fragrance mixture up to a certain concentration can be used in a specified consumer product" up to a named Amendment. It "does not replace a safety assessment and does not dismiss companies from complying with the national/local regulations."

On the SDS side, a CandleScience sample SDS (Plumeria) lists sections for hazards, composition, first aid, firefighting, handling and storage, and physical properties. Its Section 3 lists hazardous components with a weight percent range such as "1 - 10", and it notes that "Mixtures have not been tested for health hazards." The hazard information is based on the individual components.

Which one decides my label?

Not the certificate. For the US, see our guide on candle warning label requirements. For the EU and Great Britain, ECHA says the classification information for each ingredient "will be in Section 3 of the safety data sheet (SDS) provided by the supplier", so the SDS feeds the CLP label math in our CLP labels guide.

Where does the flash point come from?

The SDS. In the CandleScience sample it sits in Section 9, physical and chemical properties. Our flash point guide covers what it means for a candle.

What should I ask my supplier for?

1. An IFRA certificate for each oil, naming its Amendment. IFRA's guidance says the number and Notification date of the Amendment "should be stated." The 51st Amendment went out on 30 June 2023, per IFRA's press release. If a certificate names an earlier one, ask whether a newer one exists.
2. The Category 12 row, and the 10A or 10B row too if you make reed diffusers or sprays. See which IFRA category my product is in.
3. The current SDS for each oil, with Section 3 and Section 9.
4. For an essential oil, ask for the supplier's conformity statement. See essential oils and IFRA.
5. A fresh set when an oil is reformulated. ECHA says a candle's classification depends on its ingredients and their concentration, and the certificate is for "a specific fragrance mixture." If the oil changes, both papers can be out of date.

Worked example: one made-up oil, both papers

All numbers here are made up. Oil X comes with two papers.

• Certificate: 51st Amendment, Category 12 limit 100.00. That is far above what any wax holds. CandleScience's own example calls a 100 "well above the maximum fragrance load of my wax." So the wax's maximum load sets your ceiling. See which limit wins.
• SDS, Section 3: a skin sensitizer, category 1B, at 5 percent of the oil.

The certificate's 100 does not answer the label question. Whether a candle with that oil needs a CLP warning is a different rule, worked out from the SDS. I do not repeat that math here. It is in the CLP labels guide.

Common mistakes

• Treating the IFRA certificate as the label check. It does not set labels.
• Keeping one paper and not the other.
• Reading the wrong row. Candles are Category 12, not the soap or lotion rows.
• Keeping an old SDS or certificate after the supplier changes the oil.
• Asking for an IFRA certificate for a plain essential oil, when the supplier may send a conformity statement instead.

Questions

Does IFRA issue the certificate?

No. Your supplier writes it. See how to read an IFRA certificate.

Do I need an IFRA certificate by law?

That depends on where you sell. See is IFRA required by law. For your own product, ask a lawyer or the regulator's helpdesk.