DEVELOPMENTS
Developments
The Fragrance
Conservatory
Fragrance Creators is continuing
development of The Fragrance
Conservatory—an engaging and interactive
website to house credible, consumer
friendly, and relatable information about
fragrance ingredients subject to disclosure
under California’s Cleaning Product
Right to Know Act (SB 258). This effort
is being steered by an Interested Party
Group of Fragrance Creators members:
Arylessence, Citrus and Allied, Chanel,
Firmenich, IFF, Johnson & Johnson,
P&G, SC Johnson, Revlon, Robertet, and
Takasago. The website will be launched in
2019. Important note: This website does
not include detailed odor descriptors at
this time. However, Fragrance Creators is
working with the International Fragrance
Assocation (IFRA) on incorporating the
information in the Fragrance Conservatory.
Importance &
Benefits of Fragrance
Program
In late 2018, Fragrance Creators
announced its new program on the
Importance and Benefits of Fragrance.
This program is being supported by
a new committee, the Importance &
Benefits Committee (IBFC), chaired
by Matthew Wagner, PhD, of Procter
& Gamble. The IBFC’s focus is on
compiling information—studies, stories,
and examples—supporting the importance
and benefits of fragrance, as well as
uncovering potential areas of new research.
This information will be used as part
of Fragrance Creators’ communications
strategy to educate, inspire, and endear the
public to fragrance.
Trade/Tariff
Advocacy
Fragrance Creators established its Trade
and Tariff Policy Committee. Having
demonstrated that the association can
influence trade policy (our China 301 List
3 tariff removal rate was 10%—twice
that of the overall removal rate and more
successful than significantly larger
38 | FRAGRANCENOTES.ORG | Issue 1, 2019
industries), the Board agreed to further
invest in trade advocacy. The Committee
focuses on tariffs and trade agreements
while leveraging the influence of the
Congressional Fragrance Caucus and
Fragrance Creators’ relationships with the
United States Trade Representative and the
Department of Commerce.
Cosmetics Policy
Fragrance Creators is actively engaged in
cosmetics policy at the federal and state
level. Fragrance Creators has regular
interactions with federal stakeholders
and is pursuing nationwide solutions
for cosmetics modernization. A number
of states, including California and
New York, are considering cosmetic
ingredient proposals. Fragrance Creators
is partnering with allied trades to have a
coordinated state approach while taking
ownership of fragrance policy.
TSCA Modernization:
EPA New Chemical
Approvals
As a direct result of its efforts to actively
engage with industry groups, leverage
Congressional relationships, and advance
the Congressional Fragrance Caucus,
Fragrance Creators persuaded the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
prioritize the fragrance industry. We have
noted an acceleration of EPA’s review of
new fragrance ingredients as well as im-
provements in the agency’s willingness to
incorporate feedback and find solutions for
improving the New Chemicals program.
Fragrance Creators worked with
Congressional House Representatives
and Senators to encourage Acting
Administrator Wheeler to improve the
agency’s review of New Chemicals.
And as part of a multifaceted approach,
the Fragrance Creators New Chemicals
Working Group has finalized a
comprehensive report to facilitate EPA’s
work by describing process improvements
that could enable EPA to approve many
fragrance ingredient PMNs while still
remaining true to the changes wrought by
the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act. On
March 15, 2019, at the invitation of EPA’s
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention (OCSPP), Fragrance Creators
staff and members met with Assistant
Administrator Alex Dunn and key EPA
OCSPP staff to share the report. The
meeting was engaging and productive, with
Administrator Dunn requesting a follow-
up meeting and further dialogue. The
fragrance industry’s priority is to ensure
that TSCA modernization—in accordance
with congressional intent and industry
support—promotes safety, innovation, and
sound science.
VOC Activity:
California Air
Resource Board
The California Air Resource Board
(CARB) recently published supplemental
information on its 2013-2015 Surveys as
well as its 2016 Fragrance Formulator
Survey. Fragrance Creators has been a
regular stakeholder in reviewing these
surveys. In its recently released survey
result, CARB contends that fragrance
is a fairly large component of the VOC
inventory, representing about 8% of the
2013 Survey total organic gases (TOG)
mass, i.e. total VOCs released. Data
suggests that a number of fragranced
consumer products are among the most
vulnerable to further regulation. In
the second quarter, CARB plans to
use survey data to move forward with
restriction recommendations. Though the
implementation of such restrictions would
not be effective until 2023, CARB aims to
have a proposal by 2020.
Fragrance Creators provided comments
on the preliminary draft of the 2016 Fra-
grance formulator survey results and CARB
incorporated most of the association’s
edits into its published survey. Fragrance
Creators also worked with its members to
review and provide comments on the most
recent draft survey result, and it continues
to have dialogue with and help educate
CARB staff. By being a resource to CARB,
Fragrance Creators leverages the industry’s
knowledge and expertise on fragrance in-
gredients as CARB drafts recommendations
for reducing VOC emissions from consumer
products. Fragrance Creators is also coor-