IFRA, SDS & Allergen Sheets: What Candle Makers Need to Know

Three documents, three jobs

Example documents

You’ve found a fragrance oil you love. The scent is beautiful, the reviews are promising, and you’re already imagining it in your next candle.

Then you scroll down the supplier’s page and find three documents: IFRA, SDS, and an Allergen Declaration. One is full of percentages. Another has hazard warnings that sound alarming. The third contains ingredient names you can barely pronounce.

Do you really need all three? If you’re making candles to sell, keeping these documents organized is a smart habit to establish from the beginning. They help you understand the fragrance materials you’re working with, check relevant restrictions, and maintain records of what went into the products you’re selling.

Here’s something worth remembering: an IFRA certificate isn’t a candle safety certificate, and an SDS isn’t an IFRA certificate. Each serves a different purpose.

What is an IFRA certificate?

IFRA stands for the International Fragrance Association. It maintains industry standards intended to support the safe use of fragrance materials in different consumer products.

Fragrances aren’t used the same way in every product. A candle, a bar of soap, a bottle of perfume, and a body lotion involve different types of exposure. That’s why IFRA divides products into categories.

Category 12 is the category for ordinary candles. Here are some other categories you’re likely to encounter:

If you’re making an ordinary scented container candle, look for Category 12 on the fragrance supplier’s current IFRA Certificate of Conformity.

If you’re making a different type of product, check the appropriate category instead. A massage candle intended for skin application, for example, should not automatically be treated like an ordinary candle.

How to read an IFRA certificate

1. Start with the top of the document. Check the fragrance name and product identification number, and make sure they match the oil you actually purchased.
2. Look for the certificate’s issue date, version, and IFRA amendment.
3. Find the row for your product category. The percentage shown represents the maximum concentration permitted under the applicable IFRA assessment for that fragrance mixture and use.

Some entries may say Not limited. That brings us to one of the most misunderstood parts of the entire document.

Does an IFRA limit of 100% mean you can make a candle with 100% fragrance oil?

No. An IFRA Category 12 result of 100% or “Not limited” is not a fragrance-load recommendation. It does not mean you should fill a candle jar with fragrance oil, or that a wax can hold any amount you add. It also doesn’t mean the finished candle has been tested for flame behavior, soot, container temperatures, or combustion emissions.

There are two separate questions. What does the fragrance documentation permit for this application? And: how much fragrance can this particular wax formulation accommodate while producing a properly tested candle? Your wax manufacturer’s guidance and your own burn-testing results are essential to the second question.

If your wax manufacturer recommends no more than 8% fragrance by wax weight, an IFRA certificate showing Category 12 as “Not limited” does not override that wax guidance. More fragrance isn’t always better. Excessive loading can contribute to oil seepage, wick problems, soot, or disappointing performance.

For the actual calculations, see How Much Fragrance Oil to Add to Candle Wax, or work it out with the Fragrance Load Calculator. Our Safety & Regulations page on fragrance load, IFRA and flash point covers the same limits from the safety side.

A real example: Black Tea fragrance oil

Let’s look at an actual set of fragrance documents. Aromatic Fragrances International issued an IFRA Certificate of Conformity for Black Tea F27270, dated June 27, 2025. Its certificate references the 51st Amendment and provides different results depending on the product category.

Notice how the same fragrance has different limits for different uses. If you decide to turn a successful candle fragrance into a reed diffuser or body product, don’t automatically reuse the candle formulation percentage. The product category changes, and so can the restrictions.

And although Black Tea is listed as “Not limited” for candles under this IFRA assessment, its accompanying Safety Data Sheet still documents hazards associated with the concentrated fragrance oil. We’ll look at those next.

What is a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)?

An SDS, or Safety Data Sheet, explains the hazards and handling precautions associated with a chemical product. For candle makers, that often means the concentrated fragrance oil sitting on your workbench.

An SDS contains 16 standardized sections. You don’t need to memorize all of them, but you should know where to find the information that matters when handling, storing, or responding to an incident involving a fragrance.

The other sections are important too. This table simply gives you a useful starting point.

Why does my fragrance oil SDS look so alarming?

Because you’re reading the hazard information for the supplied fragrance concentrate, not a safety evaluation of your finished candle.

The Black Tea F27270 SDS, for example, includes warnings concerning skin irritation, allergic skin reactions, eye irritation, and aquatic environmental hazards. It also includes specific handling precautions.

That doesn’t automatically mean a finished candle containing a smaller percentage of this fragrance has all the same hazard classifications. But the reverse isn’t true either: diluting a fragrance into wax doesn’t automatically make every hazard disappear. The finished product has to be evaluated according to the requirements that actually apply to it.

What about fragrance flash point? You’ll often find a fragrance oil’s flash point in Section 9. The Black Tea example lists a flash point of 185°F (85°C). Flash point is a property used in understanding the material’s flammability and handling characteristics. It is not the temperature at which the fragrance automatically becomes unusable in candle wax, and it isn’t, by itself, a rule for when to add fragrance to molten wax.

Use the manufacturer’s instructions for your particular wax and fragrance, together with appropriate heating and handling precautions.

What is an allergen declaration sheet?

An allergen declaration is usually a supplier document listing specified fragrance substances and their reported concentrations. It may also be labeled Allergen Declaration, Fragrance Allergen Statement, or something similar. Some suppliers provide it as a separate PDF. Others include relevant information in a broader regulatory or technical document.

The important thing is understanding which substances are being reported, what the percentages refer to, and which rules the declaration was prepared to support.

The Black Tea F27270 allergen declaration lists ingredients along with identifiers and concentrations. Here are three examples from that document:

Those numbers describe the supplied fragrance material. They are not the percentages in your finished candle. A candle made with that fragrance contains a smaller proportion of the fragrance mixture, and the concentrations of its reported constituents must be considered in that context.

The presence of a listed constituent doesn’t automatically mean the finished candle is unsafe, nor does it necessarily establish that a specific consumer warning is required. Labeling obligations depend on the product, its actual composition, the applicable hazard classification, and where it is sold.

Does every candle need an allergen label?

Not automatically. This is where candle makers can become confused by information written for cosmetics, detergents, or personal-care products.

For example, the European Union has specific fragrance-allergen declaration rules for cosmetics. Those rules should not simply be copied onto ordinary candle labels.

Candles sold in the EU can, however, have obligations under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (CLP). Certain fragrance constituents and concentrations may affect finished-product classification and labeling. The allergen declaration provides useful information, but it is not by itself a completed CLP assessment.

For U.S. candle sellers, don’t assume that an EU cosmetics allergen list must appear on every candle label. Always check the rules for the actual product and market where you’re selling. Our candle label requirements guide covers what a U.S. product label generally has to say.

Can you mix two IFRA-compliant fragrance oils?

Yes, fragrance oils can be blended, including oils from different suppliers. Each oil’s IFRA certificate covers that one oil, so for a blend you look at the certificates together.

A fragrance oil is usually a mixture of many aromatic substances, and two oils may contain some of the same restricted ones. IFRA’s limits work ingredient by ingredient. In a blend, each shared ingredient ends up somewhere between its amount in the first oil and its amount in the second — never more than in the oil that had the most of it. That is why the lowest limit among your oils is a safe number to work with.

In practice, compare your fragrance load with the lowest Category 12 limit among the oils in your blend. If that lowest limit is higher than the load you pour, the blend fits within it — and if every oil says Not limited, the blend is not limited for candles either. Your wax’s own maximum still applies. Remember the math detail above: IFRA limits are a share of the finished candle, so a 10% load by wax weight is about 9.1% of the candle.

The extra checking matters when a candle limit is a number close to your load, or when the blend goes into another kind of product, such as a reed diffuser, where the limits are often much lower. If you need a formal conformity statement for a blend you sell, ask the fragrance manufacturer or a qualified assessor. And remember: an acceptable fragrance concentration doesn’t mean you’ve completed the burn testing needed for the new candle formulation.

See How to Blend Fragrance Oils for Candles for more on making and testing fragrance blends.

Natural, synthetic, and “non-toxic”: what do these claims really mean?

It’s tempting to think a natural fragrance must be safer than a synthetic one. But the source of an ingredient and its safety profile are two different questions.

Natural essential oils contain chemical constituents, some of which may be irritants, sensitizers, or otherwise restricted for particular uses. Synthetic aroma ingredients can have their own hazards and restrictions. Neither label automatically tells you how a fragrance will perform in a burning candle.

The same caution applies to marketing language. Words like “clean” or “non-toxic” can sound reassuring, but they don’t replace evidence. A product can be made carefully, with documented fragrances and thorough testing, without making sweeping claims that are difficult to substantiate.

What should you tell customers who ask whether your candles are safe? Here’s a practical way to explain your process:

Only use wording like this if your supplier documentation, actual formulations, and testing records support it. An IFRA conformity certificate does not mean that IFRA has tested or certified your finished candle.

It’s better to explain the real steps you take than to promise that a candle is completely harmless under every possible condition.

Selling candles? Keep your fragrance documents on file

Here’s a habit worth developing before your candle line gets bigger. For every finished candle formulation you sell, keep a traceable record of the fragrance oils used and the relevant supplier documentation. Ideally, that documentation includes:

• The applicable IFRA Certificate of Conformity or other appropriate IFRA information.
• The fragrance’s current Safety Data Sheet.
• An allergen declaration, when available.
• Supplier name and exact fragrance identification.
• Your actual fragrance quantities and formulation.
• Relevant document dates and versions.
• The batch or lot information needed to trace what you used.
• Your burn-testing records.

You don’t necessarily need a separate copy of the same PDF for every candle. If one fragrance oil is used in five different candles, you can keep one organized source record and maintain a clear connection between it and those five formulations. The important part is knowing which fragrance and documentation applied to each product.

Why saving older document versions matters. Fragrance suppliers can reformulate products. Regulatory and industry standards can also change. A bottle purchased today may have documentation that differs from a later purchase of a similarly named fragrance. If you’re selling candles, retaining the relevant documentation helps you understand which material went into a historical batch and what information was available when you made it. Also, don’t assume that two oils with similar names from different suppliers are interchangeable.

Is keeping all three documents a legal requirement?

There isn’t one universal rule requiring every candle maker everywhere to maintain the same three supplier PDFs for every candle. Requirements depend on where you’re operating, the chemicals involved, whether you employ workers, and where you sell your products.

For example, OSHA’s U.S. Hazard Communication Standard requires covered employers to maintain accessible SDS information for hazardous workplace chemicals. EU candle makers may have additional obligations involving CLP classification, labeling, and associated documentation.

Even when a particular document isn’t specifically mandated, organized records are a sensible business practice. A little organization now can save a great deal of searching later.

CandleEasy makes fragrance paperwork easier

There’s already enough to keep track of when you’re making candles: waxes, wicks, fragrances, suppliers, prices, recipes, and burn tests. Your documentation shouldn’t be another pile of scattered downloads.

In the CandleEasy app’s Raw Materials, a members’ feature, you can keep the important fragrance documents directly in the fragrance oil’s record. Upload your IFRA certificate, Safety Data Sheet, and allergen declaration when available. View them again whenever you need them, and replace documents when updated versions arrive.

CandleEasy also gives you convenient fields for information such as the IFRA maximum for candles and fragrance flash point, alongside your supplier and purchase records. Instead of wondering where you saved a certificate three months ago, you know where to look.

The document files and summary fields help you stay organized. They don’t replace checking the original source, confirming that information is current, or completing required finished-product assessments. The full CandleEasy app is still being finished — join the waitlist to hear when it opens.

Less searching for paperwork. More time making candles. That’s the idea behind CandleEasy.

The bottom line

IFRA certificates, Safety Data Sheets, and allergen declarations might not be the most exciting part of candle making. But understanding them helps you make better-informed decisions about the fragrances you use, how you handle them, and what you tell your customers.

Learn what each document does. Check the version and the actual product it covers. Keep your records organized, especially for candles you’re selling. And remember: the paperwork is only one part of responsible candle making. Your formulation and full burn testing matter too.

Know your fragrance. Understand your documents. Keep your records. CandleEasy makes it easier.