3,163 ingredients

The precise formulae of fragrances are highly-guarded secrets, as manufacturers want to make a unique product.

However, the International Fragrance Association (the industry’s peak body) has published a list of the 3,163 ingredients used in fragrance – what they call the “palette” from which fragrance makers build their products.

The full alphabetical list can be found at IFRA’s website, but to give a random sample here are the first few:

• Abies Alba oil
• Abietyl acetate
• Acacia decurrens, ext
• Acetal
• Acetaldehyde
• Acetaldehyde [(3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methano-1H-inden-6-yl) oxyl]-
• Acetaldehyde, 2-(octyloxy)-
• Acetaldehyde, diphenethyl acetal
• Acetaldehyde dipropyl acetal
• Acetaldehyde ethyl cis-3-hexenyl acetal
• Aceldehyde ethyl hexyl acetal
• Acetaldehyde ethyl linalyl acetal
• Acetanilide
• Acetanisole
• Acetic acid
• Acetic acid ethenyl ester polymer with ethane
• (plus 15 more reaction products of acetic acid)
• (tri) Acetin
• Acetophenone

The fragrance industry has published this list because “we believe releasing information on our materials will help us in our efforts to communicate about the industry’s extensive safety program.”

(source: ifraorg.org.)