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How it works: Ingredient scoring and classification
We describe the chemical scoring, classifying, and labeling groups/agencies that Reflexion Horse (Rh) uses as part of its research to decide whether an ingredient is safe and appropriate to use in one of our luxury formulas. As part of healthy research, it is good to keep diverse sources. Good research conclusions are made after several independent confirmations of the same result. The agencies themselves are only a part of the whole of the Rh chemical research.
01
The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep ingredient scoring system.
The Environmental Working Group (since 1993) is a safe chemical advocacy group. The Skin Deep cosmetics database is a free searchable resource for consumers reviewing personal care products (PCPs) and ingredients. (Friedman and Huang, 2025)
A team of (EWG) scientists synthesize available safety data on ingredients and PCPs. Ingredients and PCPs are given scores with dual rating factors. (Skin deep's learn more about page, n.d.) A hazard rating and a data availability rating make up the official EWG Skin Deep score for an ingredient or PCP. Scores are assigned in context of different "human health end-points." The hazard rating scale can be read numerically 1-10 (low to high concern), or in a three-stage: low, moderate, and high concern, bracket.
Friedman, A., Huang, K. (2025, September 4). Ewg's skin deep: Helping consumers and scientists understand the connection between personal care products and health. EWG. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2025/09/ewgs-skin-deepr-helping-consumers-and-scientists-understand-connection
Learn how skin deep works. (n.d.). EWG's Skin Deep. Retrieved December 10, 2025, from https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/learn_more/about/
[Database search engine]. (n.d.). EWG's Skin Deep. Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
02
PubChem's integrated Globally Harmonized System of classification and labeling of chemicals.
The National Library of Medicine's PubChem is the world's largest collection of information about chemicals freely accessible to public (PubChem homepage, n.d). Launched online in September of 2004, PubChem provides a wealth of data on the biological activities of chemical substances. (Ten years of service, 2014) The sizable platform for chemistry research has three categorical databases: substance, compound, and bioassay. The growth of PubChem data and contributors is considerable.
PubChem began integrating the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) developed by the United Nations (GHS Classification, n.d.) (GHS Classification [Rev.11, 2025] Summary, n.d.). The GHS mission was to unify chemical standards and regulations across countries. The GHS classifies criteria for health, physical and environmental hazards, and safety information for safety data sheets (SDS) and labels of hazardous chemicals.
The GHS classification is a system of pictograms, hazard codes, and other hazard statements. Classes of hazard pictograms include: health hazard, corrosion, flame, environment, and more. The hazard codes express more information about the hazards a chemical has been labeled with. Other GHS classification hazard statements include: hazard statement, hazard class, category, signal word, and more. These classifications are all used to help understand and determine the safety of a chemical or substance.
[PubChem homepage]. (n.d.). National Library of Medicine. Retrieved on May 21, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.
Ten years of service. (2014, September 16). National Library of Medicine. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/docs/ten-years-of-service.
GHS Classification (UNECE). (n.d.). National Library of Medicine. Retrieved on May 21, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/source/15676.
GHS Classification (Rev.11, 2025) Summary. (n.d.). National Library of Medicine. Retrieved on May 21, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ghs/.
03
The Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Chemical.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) first program for a non-regulatory, safer chemical initiative began in the early 1990's under the name Design for the Environment (dfE). (History of safer choice and design for the environment, 2025) As public interest regarding the safety of chemicals in household products grew over the 1990's, DfE expanded its mission and dedicated effort to assessing alternatives of priority chemicals and to recognizing companies making best-in-class products that use safe chemical ingredients. In the mid-2000's, EPA introduced the safer product labeling incentive which was a certification process companies could use to differentiate their products to consumers, making it easier for buyers to identify products that are safer for them, their household, and the environment.
While a modernized version of the DfE label remains in use today for certain items like antibacterial products, the label incentive program was upgraded to Safer Choice in 2015. (History of safer choice and design for the environment, 2025) Voluntary participation by companies in the Safer Choice program means their products are strictly reviewed by the EPA on stringent criteria about the product including its ingredients, packaging, pH, product performance, and more. (Learn about the safer choice label, n.d.) When a company receives the prestigious designation for a product from the EPA, they are audited annually to ensure their product still meets criteria standards for the Safer Choice label.
EPA reviews ingredients on human health and environmental safety criteria including: carcinogenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life, and persistence in the environment. (Learn about the safer choice label, n.d.) The EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL) is an amalgamate library of chemicals the Safer Choice program evaluates. (Safer chemicals ingredients list, 2025) The tool is designed to help manufactures find safe alternatives for chemicals and to meet criteria for the Safer Choice program.
The ingredients that have been reviewed and included in the SCIL follow a rating system which is described as the following: green circle, green half-circle, yellow triangle, and grey square. (Safer chemical ingredients list, 2025) Green circle indicates verified low concern for a chemical. Green half circle indicates an expectation of low concern for a chemical, but that additional data on the safety of the chemical would strengthen its status. Yellow triangle indicates a chemical has met Safer Choice criteria for its functional ingredient-class, but has some hazard issues and does not exhibit a low level of concern for all human health and environmental end-points. Yellow triangle assures best in class and among the safest material available for a function, but reveals area for safer chemical innovation. Grey square indicates a chemical may not acceptable for use in products that are candidates of the Safer Choice program and the product may need reformulation per compliance with Safer Choice. The chemical's listing on the SCIL may be revoked twelve months after a grey square designation unless adequate justification for listing is provided by its manufacturer.
History of safer choice and design for the environment. (2025, August 14). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on May 22, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/history-safer-choice-and-design-environment.
Learn about the safer choice label. (n.d.). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on May 22, 2026. https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/saferchoice/learn-about-safer-choice-label_.html.
Safer chemical ingredient list. (2025, September 30). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on May 22, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-ingredients.
04
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 by the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) (previously the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association) with the support of United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). (About the cosmetic ingredient review, n.d.) The CIR associated Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety, made up of world renowned scientists and physicians, completes hundreds of safety assessments on cosmetic ingredients annually (Boyer et al., 2017) and publishes their work in the International Journal of Toxicology (Cosmetic ingredient review [CIR], n.d.). The Expert Panel annually releases their comprehensive collection of reports including abstracts, discussions, and conclusions that are free for the public to access. The CIR, the Expert Panel, and the review process for ingredients operate independently from its Council, which funds the non-profit program.
About the cosmetic ingredient review. (n.d.). Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Retrieved on May 23, 2026. https://www.cir-safety.org/about.
Boyer, I. J., Bergfeld, W. F., Heldreth, B., Fiume, M. M., Gill, L. J. (2017, September/October). The cosmetic ingredient review program-expert safety assessments of cosmetic ingredients in an open forum. International Journal of Toxicology. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025345/.
Cosmetic ingredient review (CIR). (n.d.). Cosmetics Info. Retrieved on May 23, 2026. https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/cosmetic-ingredient-review-cir/.
05
The International Fragrance Association
The non-regulatory International Fragrance Association (IFRA) arose in 1973 from a collaborative desire by the fragrance industry to seek consistent safety principles of fragrance ingredients and to self-regulate. (About IFRA, n.d.) IFRA developed the IFRA Standards which are updated in amendments. The current amendment is the 51st Amendment. The Standards establish safe-use levels and applications of fragrance ingredients for the industry and products which use fragrance ingredients. Adherence to IFRA Standards is seen as desirable.
The IFRA Standards can be described as the following: Prohibition, Restriction, and Specification. (About IFRA, n.d.) Prohibition represents a complete ban of a material. Restriction implies a maximum quantity, safe-use level of a material, and/or a product the material must be used in. Specification indicates other conditions a material must meet to be considered safe such as its purity.
A fragrance material will not be listed in the Standards if it does not have any constraints placed on it. Within the Reflexion Horse (Rh) Ingredients Library (IL), IFRA recommendations are placed only on fragrance ingredient cards. Rh takes great care in our ingredient selection process. Ingredients are checked against the IFRA standards and considerably removed as options if they are constrained in any way. This is why our ingredients typically do not have IFRA conditions. We will always strive to be transparent about an IFRA safe-use restriction on any ingredient.
About ifra. (n.d.). The International Fragrance Association. Retrieved on May 24, 2026. https://ifrafragrance.org/about-ifra.
