Senior parliamentarians have welcomed the renewed commitment of the international fragrance industry to a multi-stakeholder partnership focused on the safety of fragrance allergens.

At the Annual Review of the International Dialogue for the Evaluation of Allergens (IDEA), held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday, participants heard about progress on risk assessment for fragrance allergens, early-alert systems, and replacement of animal testing. IDEA, a partnership between the fragrance industry, the European Commission, Members of the European Parliament, academics and health professionals, was held up as a model for cooperation that could be applied elsewhere.

Michael Carlos, the Chairman of The International Fragrance Association (IFRA), said:

“IDEA is a model designed for the fragrance industry but has application beyond. It is an initiative inspired by principles of collaboration, transparency and openness.“

“IFRA reiterates its strong commitment to IDEA. By continuing to work together we can ensure that the industry thrives, consumers are protected, and regulators can have confidence. We can then further build trust and dialogue between all groups who have a stake in ensuring the safe use and enjoyment of fragrance.”

The IDEA Annual Review was hosted by three MEPs from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) group – Julie Girling, Françoise Grossetête and Cristian Busoi.

Julie Girling MEP said: “This is the model that should inspire and be followed by all industry sectors to manage their key issues. It is clear for me that IDEA is instrumental in building trust with regulators and policymakers.”

Participants heard from Professor Jim Bridges, Emeritus Professor of Toxicology and Environmental Health and Chair of the IDEA Supervisory Group, about progress on developing a new model for measuring aggregate skin exposure to fragrance allergens, known as Quantitative Risk Assessment 2 (QRA2), as well as how IDEA workshops are advancing the replacement of animal testing for skin sensitization. The meeting was also addressed by Prof Dr Thomas Rustemeyer of the IDEA Supervisory Group, IFRA Scientific Director Dr Matthias Vey, and Salvatore d’Acunto of the European Commission, who gave the concluding remarks.