Reading an SDS
Tells you: What it is and who supplies it.
Why it’s important: Section 1 may seem straightforward, but it’s crucial to ensure you have the right SDS for the right product.
Tells you: Potential hazards of undiluted fragrance oil. Don't let this part scare you! A fragrance oil in pure form might be labeled as a skin irritant or even toxic, but when you use a tiny percentage in a finished candle or soap, those hazards usually no longer apply to the end product in the same way.
Key components:
- Signal word: either “Danger” for more severe hazards or “Warning” for less severe hazards
- Hazard statements: brief descriptions of the hazards e.g. “Causes skin irritation” or “Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects”
- Pictogram: a graphic symbol assigned to a hazard (flame, exclamation mark, skull-and-crossbones, etc.)
- Precautionary statements: recommended safety measures and first aid. For example, you might see precautions like “Keep away from heat/open flames”, “Wear protective gloves/eye protection”, or “Avoid breathing vapors”.
Common misconceptions: Don’t be overly alarmed if the SDS makes your lovely fragrance sound scary – remember, these warnings apply to the undiluted oil. For example, a spice fragrance could have a hazard statement “Causes skin irritation” due to a high concentration of cinnamon oil. That doesn’t mean a soap containing 1–2% of that fragrance will burn someone’s skin, it means you (the formulator) need to wear gloves or wash your hands after handling the pure oil. If you adhere to IFRA usage levels, the fragrance in your finished product will be diluted to safe levels.
Tells you: Regulated ingredients in the fragrance oil.
Why it’s important: Fragrance formulations are often trade secrets. OSHA rules allow specific concentrations or identities to be withheld if they’re not critical hazard information.
Key term:
- CAS number: a unique numerical identifier assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service for a chemical (useful if you want to look up detailed info on a component).
Common misconception: Seeing a chemical name in the ingredients list doesn’t automatically mean the fragrance is dangerous, it just means that the component was relevant to hazards or disclosure requirements. For example, seeing “Limonene 5-10%” might alarm someone to think, “Oh no, limonene can irritate skin!”, but in practice that’s part of a citrus scent and fine to use with normal precautions.
Tells you: What to do if someone is exposed to the fragrance oil in an unsafe way.
Why it’s important: It breaks down first-aid instructions by the possible routes of exposure: inhalation (breathing it in), skin contact, eye contact, and ingestion (swallowing). For each of these, the SDS gives practical steps for initial care by untrained responders. As a maker, you’re usually working with small volumes of fragrance, but it’s still vital to know these first-aid steps. Don’t treat SDS first-aid as a replacement for professional medical attention. It’s the immediate steps to take while help is on the way or for minor exposures.
Tells you: What to do in the case of a fire.
Why it’s important: If you’re crafting candles or soaps, you’re no stranger to the fact that heat is part of the process. Knowing how a fragrance oil behaves in the case of a fire is important for prevention and preparedness.
Common misconception: The flash point is sometimes misunderstood. A low flash point does not mean the oil will spontaneously combust at that temperature; it means if there’s an ignition source at or above that temperature, the vapors can ignite.
Tells you: What to do if the fragrance oil is accidentally spilled.
Why it’s important: Spills or leaks are probably the most likely accident you’ll encounter as a maker. Even a small 1 oz bottle can make quite a mess if it tips over. Knowing proper spill cleanup protects you, your workspace, and the environment.
Tells you: Guidelines for safely handling the fragrance oil and the proper conditions for storing it.
Why it’s important: Good handling and storage practices are what keep your work area safe. By following Section 7 advice, you reduce the likelihood of all the accidents described in other sections. For example, handling precautions like “use protective gloves and eye protection” tie back to preventing the injuries we discussed in Section 4. Storing properly means you’re less likely to have spills (Section 6) or fire situations (Section 5). For candle/soap makers, one practical benefit is also product quality: storing fragrance oils in cool, dark places and tightly sealed helps them last longer and retain their scent. So safety and quality go hand in hand here.
Tells you: What measures to take to protect yourself from exposure to the fragrance oil.
Key components:
- Exposure Limits: If any regulatory exposure limits exist for components of the fragrance, they’ll be listed here. For a small-scale maker, you’re probably not measuring air concentrations – but it’s good to know if an ingredient has a low threshold for safe inhalation, as it implies good ventilation is needed when using large amounts.
- Exposure Controls: This is where the SDS outlines what kind of engineering controls you should use. Engineering controls mean things like ventilation systems – e.g., “use with adequate ventilation” or “use local exhaust ventilation to keep vapor levels low.” If you’re pouring large batches, that’s a hint to open a window or use a fan so you don’t get overwhelmed by fumes.
- PPE: Common items mentioned include gloves, eye protection, and sometimes respiratory protection for extreme cases.
Why it’s important: This section is basically about keeping you safe and healthy while working with the fragrance over the long term. Even if a fragrance oil isn’t acutely toxic, repeated exposure without protection can cause issues like skin irritation or sensitization (developing an allergy). By following the PPE recommendations, you significantly reduce those risks.
Common misconception: You might think “I’ve handled fragrances for years with no PPE and I’m fine.” That may be true for many – but sensitization can develop suddenly after long exposure. It’s not worth the risk.
Tells you: This section is like the technical specs sheet for the fragrance oil.
Key components: Not every SDS will have every one of these filled in (some may say “Not determined” for many entries) but flash point and appearance are almost always given.
- Appearance: What the oil looks like – usually something like “clear pale yellow liquid” or “amber liquid.” This tells you color and physical state.
- Flash point: A low flash point does not mean the oil will spontaneously combust at that temperature; it means if there’s an ignition source at or above that temperature, the vapors can ignite, so keep away from open flames.
- Odor: Often will say “characteristic” or give a brief descriptor like “floral odor” or “lavender-like scent.” Don’t expect poetic marketing language; it’s usually basic.
- Solubility: Typically “insoluble in water” for fragrance oils (oil and water don’t mix). It might be soluble in alcohols or other solvents
Common misconceptions: The biggest is about flash point, as mentioned above. Sometimes folks misinterpret “insoluble in water” as meaning you can’t use it in water-based products. You can – it just means it won’t dissolve uniformly without an emulsifier.
Tells you: How chemically stable the fragrance oil is and what conditions or materials to avoid to prevent dangerous reactions.
Why it’s important: For the average user, Section 10 is reassurance that “nothing weird will happen as long as you handle this with the listed precautions.” For candlemakers, one scenario where reactivity matters is gel candles: certain fragrance oils can react with or soften gel wax. That’s more of a formulation compatibility issue than a hazardous reaction, though. The SDS won’t cover that kind of detail. Instead, Section 10 is mostly giving you the green light that “this oil won’t undergo runaway reactions.” And if it does degrade, it might just change odor or color, not explode.
Common Misconceptions: One misunderstanding could be not realizing that “keep away from oxidizers” applies to common things like bleach. Another is thinking that because it’s stable, you can do anything and it won’t react – remember, “stable” in normal conditions doesn’t mean you can burn it or mix with random chemicals.
Tells you: How the product can affect health, beyond the immediate hazards in Section 2.
Key components:
- Routes of exposure: (skin, eyes, inhalation, accidental ingestion) and which are most concerning.
- Acute toxicity values in animals: Most fragrance oils show low toxicity at realistic exposure levels. Our fragrance oils themselves are never tested on animals. However, some common fragrance ingredients carry legacy animal‐testing data from companies that originally developed them. While some brands simply omit those disclosures, we believe in full transparency so you can make informed choices every step of the way.
- Skin and eye irritation/sensitization: Notes whether any ingredient is an irritant or allergen (e.g. “May cause an allergic skin reaction”).
- Chronic effects: Things like carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity. Because SDS compilers have to report all available toxicology data, even inconclusive findings, you’ll sometimes see a chemical called out for “carcinogenic potential” in Section 11, yet then be told it’s Group 3 (“not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans”).
- Symptoms: Things you might see (headache, dizziness, dermatitis) to help diagnose over‐exposure.
Why it’s important: Section 11 goes beyond the simple hazard labels of Section 2 to explain how serious each risk really is, whether it’s a mild irritant or something that demands extra care.
Common misconceptions: Toxicology numbers can seem alarming at first, but it's important to remember that they're often based on much larger amounts than you'd ever encounter by accident. Remember, Section 11 is purely informational. It reports what’s been observed in studies, not what you must do. Use it to understand the science behind the warnings and to reinforce sensible precautions.
Tells you: What happens if the product gets into the environment.
Why it’s important: You’re not dumping gallons of fragrance into rivers, but this section still guides you on being an eco-conscious business. For example, if Section 12 clearly states “very toxic to aquatic life”, as many oils are, you know to be careful that you never rinse significant amounts of this oil down the drain. Such info encourages you to dispose of waste properly (as Section 13 will elaborate) and to clean up spills in a way that doesn’t send the oil into sewers. Use containers, wipe up spills, and dispose of waste properly. Our individual contributions might be small, but best practices scale up with your business.
Common misconceptions: Thinking, “if it’s natural it’s fine.” Essential oil components can be just as toxic to aquatic life. This section doesn’t distinguish natural vs synthetic, it’s all about the chemical’s behavior. So a “100% natural fragrance oil” could still have a big "harmful to aquatic life" warning.
Tells you: Gives guidance on how to dispose of the fragrance oil in a sage and legal way.
Why it’s important: Proper disposal is both a legal duty and an ethical one. If you just dump chemicals irresponsibly, you could harm the environment (see Section 12) and also potentially go against local regulations.
Tells you: How the fragrance oil is classified for shipping and transport purposes.
Why it’s important: Even if you personally aren’t shipping hazardous materials, it’s useful to know how your fragrance oil is classified in case you do need to ship it or if you’re traveling with it. Small quantities (as we sell) often ship by ground transportation as "limited quantity" which is why you likely won't see a hazard label on your order.
Tells you: Other regulatory information not covered elsewhere, typically specific to certain countries or agencies.
Why it’s important: Section 15 is your legal‐compliance check. It confirms that all ingredients are allowable (TSCA), flags any special reporting thresholds (SARA/CERCLA), and highlights region-specific rules you might one day need (e.g., EU REACH or state lists). For most makers, the big takeaway is “No Prop 65 ingredients,” which none of our oils have.
Tells you: Date modified and disclaimer.
Why it’s important: For you, one big thing here is checking the revision date. SDSs can be updated if regulations change (for example, a new ingredient gets listed on Prop 65, SDS gets updated to reflect that). It’s a good practice to ensure you have the latest SDS, especially if you’ve been using the fragrance for many years.
