Musk Ingredients
What are Musks?
Musks are key building blocks of any perfume mix. There are two types of musks: natural and synthetic. Natural musks originate from animal sources, often farmed for this purpose or from animals taken from the wild. P&G maintains a very strict policy not to use natural musks, which has been enforced since the company entered the fine fragrance business in the mid 1990s.
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Which Musks do P&G Use? P&G only uses one type of synthetic musks, polycyclic musks. P&G uses two different polycyclic musks, galaxolide (HHCB) and tonalide (AHTN). Both are among the most intensely studied fragrance ingredients in the world and have recently been re-evaluated for safety by the E.U. agencies, due to previous concerns regarding their presence in the environment. |
HHCB and AHTN are safe and do not bioaccumulate
Most recently, HHCB and AHTN were reviewed in exhaustive detail in separate reports published by the E.U. governmental agency, the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), in 2008. These reports reviewed data regarding bioaccumulation and human safety. Both ingredients were found not to bioaccumulate and were confirmed to undergo "rapid degradation" with "absence of food chain accumulation or biomagnification." Levels found in the environment and in humans were found to be safe. Based on extensive research and confirmation of safety via scientific review by governmental agencies, P&G is confident in the safe use of HHCB and AHTN in perfumes used in P&G Beauty & Grooming products.
These ECB opinions can be found at:
- Summary Risk Assessment Report (HHCB)
- European Union Risk Assessment Report (HHCB)
- Summary Risk Assessment Report (AHTN)
- European Union Risk Assessment Report (AHTN)
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