Fragrance Product Technical Data Sheets: What to Request from Your Factory

A Technical Data Sheet (TDS) is the engineering counterpart to the Safety Data Sheet. Where the SDS tells you how to handle and ship a fragrance safely, the TDS tells you how it performs, how to formulate with it, and what to test on incoming goods. Without a complete TDS, your quality team is guessing.

Here is the field-by-field specification we recommend buyers request from any fragrance factory, whether for fragrance oils, essential oils, finished candles, or reed diffusers.

1. Product Identification Block

• Product name and marketing description.
• Internal product code (must match the SDS, IFRA certificate, and CoA).
• Version or revision number, with revision date.
• INCI name where applicable (for example, “Parfum (Fragrance)”).
• CAS number for single-component materials; for compounds, “Mixture” with the major components listed.
• Country of manufacture.

2. Organoleptic Properties

• Appearance: liquid, solid, paste; clarity (clear, hazy, opalescent).
• Color: described against a standard, e.g., “pale yellow, Gardner 2-3” or measured on a Lovibond scale.
• Odor description: top, heart, and base notes for finished fragrances; characteristic profile for single materials.
• Odor strength / tenacity: often rated on a 1-10 scale or described in hours of drydown.

These fields are your reference for incoming inspection. If a delivery arrives darker than the TDS specifies, you have grounds to reject or quarantine.

3. Physical and Chemical Properties

Required fields with test methods cited:

• Specific gravity at 20 degrees C / 20 degrees C (or 25/25), per ISO 2811 or ASTM D1475.
• Refractive index at 20 degrees C, per ISO 280.
• Optical rotation, for natural essential oils, per ISO 592.
• Flash point (closed cup, Pensky-Martens or Abel), per ISO 2719 or ASTM D93.
• Acid value, ester value, saponification value for essential oils, per ISO 1242 and ISO 709.
• Solubility in ethanol, fixed oils, water, and common bases (DPG, IPM).
• Viscosity for finished products, per ISO 3219.
• pH for water-containing products.

Each value should include a tolerance, for example “Specific gravity 0.912 - 0.924”. A single number without a range is not actionable for QC.

4. Performance Data

This is what separates a marketing sheet from a real TDS.

• Recommended use level by application: fine fragrance, body care, soap, candle wax, diffuser base.
• Flash point of the finished dilution at the recommended use level, important for candle and diffuser formulators.
• Compatibility notes: stability in alkaline soap, in soy or paraffin wax, in DPG/IPM diffuser bases.
• Cold throw and hot throw ratings for candle applications, ideally with the test wax and load percentage stated.
• Photostability and discoloration tendency, especially for vanillin-rich fragrances that brown soap and cream.
• Stability data: accelerated stability at 40-45 degrees C, freeze-thaw cycles, and recommended shelf life in unopened original packaging.

5. Regulatory and Compliance Summary

• IFRA category and maximum use level (cross-reference the IFRA certificate).
• Allergen declaration summary (the 26 EU allergens, expanding under Regulation (EU) 2023/1545).
• REACH status of major components.
• TSCA status for US imports.
• Halal, kosher, vegan, or animal-derived statement where relevant.
• Natural content percentage per ISO 9235 if marketed as natural.

6. Packaging and Storage

• Available pack sizes (1 kg, 5 kg, 25 kg drums, 200 kg drums, IBC).
• Packaging material (HDPE, aluminum, stainless steel) and UN rating for DG products.
• Storage conditions: temperature range, light protection, inert gas headspace for oxidation-sensitive materials.
• Shelf life in months from production date.
• Lot coding format and where to find it on the pack.

7. Quality and Test References

• Reference to the in-house specification document and version.
• Test methods used (ISO, ASTM, IFRA, internal SOP numbers).
• Statement that each batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) reporting actual values against the TDS ranges.
• Name of the QC manager or department responsible.

8. Document Control

• TDS reference number and version.
• Issue date and supersession statement.
• Author and approver names.
• Page numbering (“Page 1 of 3”) to prevent partial copies.

How to Use the TDS Operationally

Build your incoming inspection checklist directly from the TDS. For each delivery, your QC team should verify:

1. Lot code matches the CoA.
2. Appearance and color match the TDS description.
3. Specific gravity and refractive index fall within the stated ranges (a refractometer and density meter pay for themselves within a few shipments).
4. Flash point matches if the product is shipped as flammable.
5. Odor profile matches a retained reference sample.

Any deviation triggers a non-conformance report referencing the TDS version, which makes supplier conversations factual rather than subjective.

Red Flags on a TDS

• No test methods cited.
• Single-point values without tolerances.
• No version control or revision date.
• Marketing language (“excellent throw”) without supporting data.
• Different values on the TDS, SDS, and CoA for the same parameter.

A factory that invests in a rigorous TDS almost always invests in formulation control as well. At Aromiso, every fragrance oil and essential oil ships with a version-controlled TDS, a matching CoA per batch, and the underlying test method references available on request. If you would like a sample TDS for benchmarking against your current suppliers, our technical team is happy to share one.