Eurofins appointed as the new laboratory for the Compliance Program of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA)

May 15, 2009

The IFRA Compliance Program focuses on the safety of fragranced consumer products by ensuring that the IFRA Code of Practice is fully applied and adhered to. It involves the analysis of a variety of consumer products for the presence of fragrance ingredients regulated by IFRA Standards. The product analysis is defined in specific protocols and is coordinated completely independently by Eurofins following strict internal procedures to ensure confidentiality and impartiality in each step of the program.

The products are selected at random from the different categories - fragrance, cosmetics and toiletries and household and detergents - from ten randomly selected IFRA member countries each year. The first two cycles have shown 100% compliance. Not one single banned ingredient has been discovered above the reliable threshold of detection (0.01%).

The Compliance Program is an integral part of the IFRA Code of Practice, which is a comprehensive document that supports the IFRA commitment to provide products that are safe for use by the consumer and to the environment.  The Code of Practice applies to the manufacture and handling of all fragrance materials, for all types of applications and contains the full set of IFRA Standards. Abiding by the IFRA Code of Practice is a prerequisite for all fragrance supplier companies that are members of IFRA (either directly or through national associations). Client companies (including producers of toiletries and household products) expect their fragrances to comply with IFRA Standards as set out in the Code. Amendments to the Code, if required, are issued annually, based on new scientific developments. These contain either new usage restrictions or revisions of existing usage restrictions. 

The IFRA Code of Practice is distributed worldwide and is in the hands of all member associations and their member companies, including governmental regulatory bodies and many other stakeholders. It is also available to all on the website: http://www.ifraorg.org/.

For more information, please contact:
Thomas Herrmann:
Tel.: +49 (0) 40 49294 - 700
eMail: thomasherrmann@eurofins.de

Notes for the editor:
Eurofins – a global leader in bio-analysis

Eurofins Scientific is a life sciences company operating internationally to provide a comprehensive range of analytical testing services to clients from a wide range of industries including the pharmaceutical, food and environmental sectors.

With 8,000 staff in more than 150 laboratories across 30 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 25,000 reliable analytical methods for evaluating the authenticity, origin, safety, identity, composition and purity of biological substances and products. The Group is committed to providing its customers with high quality services, accurate results in time and, if requested, expert advice by its highly qualified staff.

The Eurofins Group is the world leader in food testing and one of the global market leaders in pharmaceuticals and environmental testing. It intends to pursue its dynamic growth strategy and expand both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.

As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients’ increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the demands of regulatory authorities around the world.

The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (ISIN FR0000038259) and Frankfurt (WKN 910 251) Stock Exchanges (Reuters EUFI.LN, Bloomberg ERF FP, ESF, EUFI.DE).

About IFRA 

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) was founded in 1973 in Geneva to represent the fragrance creation houses and the manufacturers of fragrance ingredients. Its main purpose is to promote the safe enjoyment of fragrances worldwide.

IFRA represents the fragrance industry regional and national associations worldwide. IFRA is the reflection of the industry's choice to regulate itself and and its activities result in a Code of Practice and safety Standards, which members must adhere to, in order to achieve the objective of protecting consumers’ health and our environment.

Research and development, scientific findings, health and safety concerns as well as environmental protection are at the heart of IFRA’s concerns. Together with the industry's scientific arm the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), IFRA ensures that the establishment of usage Standards for fragrance materials are put into practice according to available scientific recommendations, and that all member companies comply with those Standards. Self-regulation enables the IFRA Standards to be adopted very rapidly by fragrance houses worldwide and by the industry as a whole.

As an addition to the self-regulation process, IFRA has launched a compliance program to ensure that the fragrances incorporated in consumer and luxury goods on a worldwide basis are meeting the IFRA Standards. This program is a worldwide program.