Ingredient guide

Linalool: The Floral Fragrance Allergen Found Almost Everywhere

Linalool is a floral scent compound and one of the 26 declared fragrance allergens. Here's what it is, why it oxidises, and who tends to react.

What it is

Linalool is a naturally occurring scent compound with a soft floral note, found in lavender, bergamot, coriander and many other plants. Like limonene, it is extremely common, including in products marketed as natural.

Why it is listed separately

Linalool is one of the 26 fragrance allergens that UK and EU rules require to be named on the label above a set concentration, so you will often see it declared at the end of the list.

The oxidation issue

Pure linalool is a fairly weak allergen, but once it is exposed to air and oxidises (in an opened product over time), it becomes considerably more likely to cause contact allergy. This is why long-opened “natural” products can start to irritate even if they were fine when new.

Who tends to react

People with fragrance allergy, eczema or sensitive skin. As with other fragrance allergens, reactions are the delayed, itchy contact-dermatitis type.

Where it hides

Lavender and floral-scented skincare, haircare, deodorants and aromatherapy ranges. Look for Linalool (sometimes Linalol), usually near the end of the ingredient list.

Check products against your list

To check a product, a free analyser like Skincarisma lets you paste a product at your desk and see linalool flagged in the ingredient list, and INCIBeauty lets you look up a product and read plain-language notes on each ingredient, with a community that rates them. These rate a product on general criteria rather than against your own list.

Once you know what you are screening for, a personal-list app like ClearaScan lets you save linalool once and scan any product to flag only your triggers. It also keeps a Reaction Journal for flare-ups, a shared Care Circle so family or carers can scan for you, and a Trusted Products list for items you have cleared, and it is currently in early access. (Disclosure: our editor co-founded ClearaScan, and we are not paid to mention the others.)

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A note on this content. The Sensitive Skin Lab publishes general educational information, not medical advice. If you suspect you have an allergy or sensitivity, consult a qualified dermatologist or allergist. Product formulations and labels change without notice, so always check the ingredients on the product itself.