Butylphenyl Methylpropional (BMHCA), also known as Lilial, is a green-floral fragrance ingredient that has been widely used in the perfume industry for years, thanks to its pleasant smell and great performance.

Thanks to advances in science and the well and conscious work of the chemical industry, more and more data is available on the ingredients used in the production of fragrances and aromas, including data focused on preserving the safety and health of the consumer.

The concentration of use of Lilial has been limited in the field of perfumery by the standards determined by IFRA (The International Fragrance Association) since 2007. However, in November 2018, the ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) concluded a harmonised classification of Lilial as CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction).

On November 22, 2018, the ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) concluded on a harmonised classification and labelling for reproductive toxicity of Lysmeral® Extra (BMHCA; 2-(4-tert-Butylbenzyl) propionaldehyde).

The restriction applies to BMHCA as such, as constituent of other substances, or, in mixtures and implies in practice the following points, according to the Official Journal of the European Union:

• BMHCA cannot be placed on the market or used in products sold to the general public (consumers) when its concentration is equal or above the generic concentration limit specified in part 3 of Annex I of the EU CLP – i.e., 0.3%.
• BMHCA may be placed on the market and used in products sold for professional use above the classification concentration limit of equal or above 0.3%. In this case the packaging of such substances and mixtures has to be marked visibly, legibly, and indelibly as ‘Restricted to professional users.

This classification of the substance has been a real challenge for the perfumery industry, since the development of an alternative capable of replacing the olfactory benefits of Lilial while producing similar formula performance is a fairly complex process.

In response, Bordas is proud to announce that our team of expert perfumers has developed a substitute for Lilial, internally called Mugal.

This creation has been possible thanks to the active participation of Bordas in different entities and associations of the industry of which it is a member, allowing the Perfumery department to overcome this new regulatory challenge without significantly interfering with our clients’ formulas.

Mugal is a very fresh floral-aquatic ingredient for internal use that places the Lily of the Valley accord at the heart of the composition.

After developing different proposals and having carried out tests in the different main applications, Bordas, a perfume manufacturer with more than 100 years of history, determined that the new base Mugal, is an ideal substitute that provides numerous benefits regarding the formulation of our perfumes:

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