REVOLUTIONIZING FRAGRANCE SAFETY THROUGH DATA SCIENCE
Creme RIFM aggregate exposure model
RIFM is a not-for-profit organization that gathers, analyses, and publishes scientific data related to the safe use of fragrance ingredients. RIFM and Creme Global partnered to develop an aggregate exposure model for fragrance materials. The Creme RIFM Aggregate Exposure Model has made a substantial impact on both the improvement of consumer safety and the reduction of animal testing.
FDA Food Safety platform we’ve developed is possibly the largest-ever, inter-agency food safety data sharing hub in the history of the US government, recently presented at the White House level.
The Challenge
Answering the need for improved fragrance safety
The fragrance and cosmetics industry is a large sector, with fragrance ingredients found in a vast range of consumer products – ranging from various cosmetics, personal care items, air care products, and household cleaning products. With over 3,000 unique materials and 80,000 fragrance blends in use, the industry is facing a major challenge of ensuring consumer safety while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Historically, determining safe exposure levels for fragrance ingredients relied on animal testing and traditional deterministic calculations. But both of these have significant limitations. Animal testing is ethically controversial and costly, while deterministic calculations provide inaccurate over-estimations. Using these methods would often result in over-estimating risk assessments, leading to unnecessary product reformulations, regulatory hurdles, and inefficiencies.
Looking at the wider regulatory landscape, global regulation initiatives, including the European Commission’s REACH standards and the USA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform legislation, demanded a more comprehensive understanding of aggregate exposure—the total exposure from multiple products used by consumers daily.
To meet these evolving regulatory and consumer demands, the fragrance industry needed a forward looking, data-driven approach to exposure assessment. One that could deliver precision, transparency, and ethical improvements at the same time.
Better food safety begins and ends with better data…and better data governance.
The Solution
From assumptions to accuracy
Creme Global partnered with RIFM to design and develop the Creme RIFM aggregate exposure model. This advanced, data-driven consumer exposure model was built to make use of large volumes of scientific and market survey data. This probabilistic modeling approach replaces outdated deterministic methods, offering a more realistic and precise assessment of consumer exposure to fragrance ingredients across over 70 personal care, household and aircare products.Model also allows for the option to model exposure from products that are not included in the default list of 70+ products.
Unlike traditional models, which assume that consumers use all fragranced products in large, consistent amounts, the Creme RIFM Model integrates real-world data on consumer habits and product formulations. By analyzing usage patterns from over 36,000 individuals in the U.S., Europe and Singapore, the model provides a highly accurate estimate of aggregate exposure, incorporating key factors such as:
- Real World Habits and Practices of product use across different demographics
- Variability in application amounts and product concentrations
- Dermal, inhalation, and ingestion exposure routes
- Body site-specific absorption and retention rates
By utilizing advanced data science and toxicological modeling, Creme RIFM model improves accuracy of exposure estimates while reducing reliance on animal testing. Instead of relying on hypothetical and conservative scenarios, the Creme RIFM Model leverages statistical simulations to generate realistic, population-based exposure assessments.
The model is also aligned with global regulatory requirements, helping companies satisfy the European Commission’s REACH regulations, the U.S. TSCA Reform Act, and IFRA safety standards. It enables fragrance manufacturers to confidently assess systemic safety, optimize formulations, and respond to regulatory inquiries with scientifically backed data.
It is profoundly exciting, the ability to visualize the data, the levels, and the regions. We are looking to take this tool and expand it to other categories.
Project Impact
A sustainable future for fragrance safety assessments
By modernizing fragrance safety assessments, the Creme RIFM Aggregate Exposure Model has had a transformational impact on the industry, offering significant benefits in scientific accuracy, regulatory compliance, and ethical advancements. One of the most profound outcomes has been the dramatic reduction in animal testing. Since its adoption, the model has saved an estimated 120,000 animals from testing, reinforcing the industry’s commitment to ethical and sustainable research practices.
As the model continues to evolve, it is being expanded to real world habits and practices data on infants 0-3 years of age – the largest dataset in the world of its kind. Ensuring that the fragrance industry remains at the forefront of science-driven safety and sustainability.
Improved accuracy and efficiency
Companies now have access to realistic exposure estimates that reduce unnecessary product reformulations and streamline safety assessments.
Better regulatory compliance
By meeting global requirements for aggregate exposure reporting, the industry can confidently navigate evolving safety standards.
Enhanced consumer safety
The model ensures that fragrance exposure remains within safe thresholds, minimizing health risks while maintaining product innovation.
Reduced costs and resource use
By eliminating the need for excessive toxicity testing and reformulations, companies save time, money, and research resources.
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