Pogostemon Cablin Oil
Patchouli oil
- Role
- Patchouli essential oil with a woody, earthy scent, used as part of the fragrance.
- Catalog formulas
- 7
- Type
- Scent
- Verified
- 09.11.2026
What does this ingredient do in an antiperspirant?
A natural mixture of odorous substances from patchouli leaves. According to the SCCS description, its main component is patchoulol (27–35%); the oil also contains eugenol and pinene, which are themselves on the EU list of fragrance allergens.
Part of a system, not a label in isolation
In an antiperspirant or deodorant it only contributes to the scent and does not reduce sweating. Its presence in the list means the product is fragranced.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added patchouli oil to the list of fragrance allergens (Annex III, entry 365): above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products it must be named separately in the ingredient list. New products must comply from 31 July 2026; products already on the market may be sold until 31 July 2028.
The 2012 SCCS opinion classifies patchouli oil as an established contact allergen in humans: 11 to 100 positive patch-test reactions have been described in the literature. In one study, 0.8% of 1,606 consecutively tested patients reacted.
Not the same as Parfum: patchouli oil is only one possible part of a fragrance. Nor is it patchouli leaf or flower extract (Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Extract, Flower Extract), which are separate INCI entries.
Products containing Pogostemon Cablin Oil
Links are based on the complete published INCI list for the exact product version.
Sources
The conclusions apply to the stated conditions and jurisdictions, not automatically to every concentration or product.
- CosIng Checker: Annex III, entry 365 (Pogostemon Cablin Oil) Supports: restrictions, allergen labelling
- European Commission: fragrance allergens Supports: allergen labelling, Regulation 2023/1545 deadlines
- SCCS/1459/11: Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products Supports: oil composition, allergenicity assessment