EU Regulation Follows Fragrance Industry's Voluntary Global Ban

BRUSSELS, February 18, 2011 - The European Commission has just announced its decision to ban the
fragrance material Musk xylene under the new European Chemicals Legislation
REACH, bringing EU regulations in line with the global IFRA Standards.

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) voluntarily banned Musk
xylene through the IFRA Standards, part of the fragrance industry's global
self-regulatory program contained in the IFRA Code of Practice.

The material was banned because of its potential effects on the
environment.

The IFRA Standards form the basis for the globally accepted and
recognized risk management system for the safe use of fragrance ingredients
and are part of the product risk management process, the IFRA Code of
Practice. This is the self-regulating system of the industry, based on risk
assessments carried out by an independent Expert Panel.

The Expert Panel* is made up of renowned independent experts, from fields
such as dermatology, toxicology, pathology or environmental sciences. Their
role is to evaluate the data on a fragrance to see if it supports the current
use level, to make sure that there is no risk for the consumer or the
environment. In the cases where the safety assessment does not support the
current use, the Panel instructs IFRA to issue a Standard either restricting
or banning a material. This was the process that led to the creation of an
IFRA Standard banning the use of Musk xylene as part of the IFRA 44th
Amendment to the Code of Practice in June 2009. The Code of Practice is
mandatory for all IFRA members and membership accounts for approximately 90%
of the global volume of fragrance materials.

"I am pleased thatone of the world's most comprehensive regulatory
regimes is in line with our own global safety program," said Pierre Sivac,
IFRA President. "We have always taken our responsibilities for safety very
seriously and once again our self-regulatory approach has proved to be more
up to date with current scientific knowledge, faster to implement and cheaper
for industry and consumers. We shall continue to work to ensure the safe
enjoyment of fragrances by implementing our Standards worldwide."

www.ifraorg.org

Stephen Weller, +32-497-57-33-94