Fragrance safety
Fragrance safety: SDS, IFRA and how to scent a shared building responsibly.
What the documents mean, how to get ours, how to plan for people who are sensitive to fragrance, and the claims we will not make.
The short answer
Are scent diffusers safe in a commercial building?
A commercial scent diffuser is a fragrance product, and it is used responsibly when the oil comes with a safety data sheet (SDS) and IFRA documentation, the intensity is kept low and scheduled to occupied hours, and people who are sensitive to fragrance have a way to have it turned down. Nēbu 360, a commercial scenting company in Lake Park, Florida, provides SDS and IFRA documentation for every one of its 43 fragrances on request.
Our units use cold-air diffusion: no heat, no water and no wet spray. Scent is not air treatment, and we do not claim that it cleans, purifies or improves health.
The documents
What are SDS and IFRA, and what do they tell you?
SDS: safety data sheet
Handling and hazards
A standard document that describes a product's hazard classification, safe handling, storage, first aid and spill response. It is written for the people who handle the oil: your maintenance team, your engineer, our technicians. Facilities and condo managers usually keep one on file per fragrance in use.
IFRA documentation
Use within industry standards
IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, publishes standards that restrict or limit certain fragrance materials. An IFRA certificate states the categories of use and limits a fragrance has been assessed against. It is the document to ask for when someone asks "what is in this, and is it within industry standards?"
To request either for a specific scent, contact us with the fragrance name. We send them by email.
What we can document
What do we actually certify or measure?
Only what we can put a document behind.
SDS and IFRA per fragrance
Available on request for all 43 oils.
ISO 9001 manufacturing
Nēbu 360 units are built in a facility certified to ISO 9001 for quality management.
2.0 micron dry mist
The NL2500's median droplet size, measured by laser particle analysis, with 90% of the mist under 3.6 microns.
12-month warranty
On every unit, with a care and troubleshooting guide.
Honest limits
What do we not claim?
- No product-level UL or ISO certification of the units themselves. The ISO 9001 certificate covers the manufacturing facility's quality system.
- No air purification, cleaning or "air quality" claims. Fragrance is not air treatment.
- No health, mood, sleep, anxiety or memory claims.
- No claim that any fragrance is suitable for every person. Some people are sensitive to fragrance, which is why the plan below exists.
If a scent supplier tells you a fragrance purifies the air or is safe for everyone, ask for the document that supports it.
Running it responsibly
How do you scent a shared building without bothering people?
Start low
Begin at a low level and raise it only if people cannot notice it at all. A good scent is noticed on arrival and forgotten after a minute.
Schedule it
Run only during occupied hours. Every Nēbu 360 unit has a weekly schedule set from a phone.
Zone it
Scent lobbies, corridors and restrooms. Keep it light or off where people sit for hours.
Sample first
Let staff or residents smell two or three options in the actual space before choosing.
Template
A fragrance sensitivity policy you can adapt
For a workplace handbook, a condo rules page or a resident notice. Edit it to fit; it is not legal advice.
Scented common areas. [Building or company] uses a low-level ambient fragrance in [lobby, corridors, restrooms] during [hours]. The fragrance is [name]. Its safety data sheet and IFRA documentation are available from [manager].
If it bothers you. Tell [name, email or phone]. We will lower the intensity in that area within [one business day], and switch it off there if lowering it is not enough.
Changes. We will give [one week's] notice before changing the fragrance or adding scent to a new area.
Personal spaces. Offices, apartments and treatment rooms are not scented unless the person using them asks.
Questions
Fragrance safety questions.
Are scent diffusers safe?
Used responsibly, a commercial scent diffuser is a fragrance product like any other: choose oils supplied with an SDS and IFRA documentation, keep intensity low, run it only during occupied hours, and give people a way to have it turned down. Be wary of any diffuser sold with health or purification claims.
What does IFRA certified fragrance oil mean?
It usually means the fragrance comes with an IFRA certificate stating that its composition has been assessed against the International Fragrance Association's standards for specified categories of use. Nēbu 360 provides IFRA documentation for its oils on request.
How do I get the SDS for a Nēbu 360 fragrance oil?
Send the fragrance name through the contact page at nebu360.com/pages/contact or call (561) 351-2248, and Nēbu 360 will email the safety data sheet and IFRA documentation.
Is it safe to put a scent diffuser in an HVAC system?
A cold-air HVAC diffuser adds a dry fragrance mist with no water and no heat into the supply air. Have the building engineer approve the connection point, keep intensity low, and run it only while the fan runs during occupied hours.
How should a workplace handle fragrance sensitivity?
Keep scent out of desks and private offices, use a low level in shared areas, publish who to contact if it bothers someone, and commit to lowering or switching it off in that area quickly. The template on this page is a starting point.
Paperwork
Request SDS and IFRA documents.
Tell us which fragrance you use or are considering, and we will send the documents for your files.
Request documents