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A magazine about scent and what the label says

PARFUMÉRIA ZET

Home care

Fragrance in laundry detergents and allergens on the label

The smell of freshly washed laundry is one of the scents we wear most often – even though we never chose it at a perfume counter. Labelling rules apply to it too.

Words: PARFUMÉRIA ZET. Updated 12 October 2026.

A wash cycle is essentially a rinse – most of the product goes down the drain with the water.

What the label must show today

Laundry, washing and cleaning products in the EU are governed by Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents. Its Annex VII A sets out what goes on the pack:

  • perfumes – if added, they are listed regardless of concentration (as are enzymes, disinfectants, optical brighteners and preservatives),
  • allergenic fragrance substances – if added at a concentration above 0.01% by weight, they are named; this is the list of fragrance allergens from cosmetics legislation,
  • selected groups of ingredients (e.g. anionic or non-ionic surfactants, phosphates) in weight bands: less than 5%, 5% to 15%, 15% to 30%, 30% and more.

The 0.01% threshold is the same as for rinse-off cosmetics. For detergents, however, the stricter 0.001% threshold that applies to creams and perfumes left on the skin does not apply.

Why the scent stays on the fabric

A wash cycle is essentially a rinse – most of the product goes down the drain with the water. Some fragrance substances, though, bind to the fibres, especially the less volatile ones: musks, woody and amber molecules. That is why the “clean laundry” smell almost always reads as musky. Some of these molecules, such as the polycyclic musk Hexamethylindanopyran or the woody material Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, have been on the cosmetics allergen list, with mandatory labelling, since 2023.

The new detergents regulation

In 2026 the EU adopted a new Regulation (EU) 2026/405 on detergents and surfactants (adopted on 11 February 2026). It replaces Regulation No 648/2004:

  • it entered into force on 22 March 2026,
  • it will apply from 23 September 2029 – until then, the rules described above apply,
  • it will allow manufacturers to choose a digital label for part of the information; according to the recitals, however, consumers should still receive information on fragrance allergens and preservatives in physical form.

The 0.01% threshold for labelling fragrance allergens remains in the new regulation. We will add details of the list the new regulation will use once we have verified them in the full text of the annex.

What this means when you shop

  • If you know you react to a particular fragrance substance, look for its name on the laundry detergent label just as you would on cosmetics.
  • “Perfume-free” means the manufacturer has not added a fragrance mixture. The product may still have its own smell from the raw materials.
  • Fabric softeners and scent beads exist mainly for the fragrance – if you do not want it, they are the first thing to leave out.