20 June 2026, Quezon City. As Father’s Day is celebrated, the EcoWaste Coalition urged caring wives, daughters, and sons to refrain from giving their beloved husbands, fathers, and father figures perfumes containing a synthetic chemical that has been banned in fragrances and other cosmetics for harming the reproductive system and causing contact allergy.
The European Union’s Cosmetic Products Regulation and the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive prohibit butylphenyl methylpropional — also known as BMHCA, p-BMHCA, lilial, lily aldehyde, lysmeral or 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl) propionaldehyde — as an ingredient in cosmetics.
BMHCA has been prohibited in the EU since 2022, while the ASEAN ban took effect in 2024 as per Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Circular No. 2023-007.
Despite being banned, many perfume products sold in the market, particularly imitation products of popular brands, still include BMHCA among their ingredients, the EcoWaste Coalition pointed out.
A sampling conducted in February 2025, for example, found 35 perfume products costing P75 to P300 each with BMHCA. A follow-up monitoring on June 19 found BMHCA-containing perfume products still on sale, particularly in Binondo, Manila.
Among the products found to contain BMHCA are imitation perfumes bearing popular brand names, such as Aimore, Bulgari, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Clinique, Davidoff, Deep in Blue, Escada, Eternity, Lacoste, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Versace.
Unregulated knock-offs often fail to meet product safety standards and may contain banned or restricted chemical substances.
The EU classifies BMHCA as a “reproductive toxicant”, or a substance that impairs fertility and reproductive health in men and women. The main routes of exposure are via skin absorption and inhalation.
According to the EU, BMHCA is “harmful to the reproductive system, affecting fertility and posing risk to an unborn child’s health.” Pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and couples trying to conceive are particularly at-risk groups.
BMHCA may also be found in other products marketed for men’s use, including deodorant cream, roll-on, spray, and stick; facial wash; hair gel; shampoo and conditioner; and skin tonic.
To prevent buying items that may harm the health of intended recipients, the EcoWaste Coalition reminded the public to seek products with FDA authorization, read product labels carefully, and avoid those listing BMHCA as an ingredient. Some products may conceal BMHCA under the generic term “fragrance,” the group added.
Consumers are advised to steer clear of perfume products listing butylphenyl methylpropional as an ingredient.
The EcoWaste Coalition also urged consumers to steer clear of counterfeits and copycats, and to watch out for red flags, including too-good-to-be-true price tags for branded products, poor packaging, inadequate labeling information, and spelling or grammatical errors.
https://www.ph-plex.com/us/news/lilial-butylphenyl-methylpropional-banned-in-the-eu-since-2022/
