News + Events

2025 was a year defined by collaboration, innovation, and meaningful progress across the fragrance safety community. From advancing next-generation, non-animal approaches to strengthening exposure and environmental assessment tools, RIFM’s science continued to support safe, sustainable fragrance use worldwide. Our researchers and partners were recognized across leading journals, conferences, and media outlets, underscoring the growing global impact, transparency, and real-world relevance of RIFM’s work. This year’s achievements reflect not only the dedication of our team but the shared commitment of stakeholders throughout the fragrance value chain.

Acknowledgements & Awards

RIFM Postdoctoral Researcher Marissa Guttenberg, PhD, received a 2025 AJRCMB Junior Investigator Award and SOT’s 2025 Best Paper of the Year Award.

RIFM Principal Scientist Aurelia Lapzynski and colleagues were honored as one of the 10 Exceptional Papers of 2024 by Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (ET&C), published by Oxford Academic.

RIFM Senior Scientist Holger Moustakas, PhD, and RIFM Senior Associate Scientist Jake Muldoon, PhD, were selected to present their latest research during the prestigious Sci-Mix Poster Session at the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Fall 2025 Meeting.

RIFM Postdoctoral Researcher Kayla Farrell, PhD, received the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS) 2nd Place Award for Early Career Poster Presentation.

Media Appearances

RIFM Principal Scientist Isabelle Lee, PhD, was interviewed on advancements in skin sensitization testing in Cosmetics Design USA.

RIFM Principal Scientist Kaushal Joshi, PhD, DABT, was interviewed on dermal absorption of salicylates in Cosmetics Design USA.

CosmeticsDesign USA also interviewed RIFM Principal Scientist Yax Thakkar, PhD, on physiologically based pharmacokinetic, or PB/PK, modeling for genotoxicity.

Independent toxicologist Rani Ghosh called out RIFM’s fragrance safety science leadership in a Refinery29 article.

Short Videos

How Allergic Contact Dermatitis Happens at the Cellular Level (2:05)

How Can I Tell if a Fragrance Ingredient Is Safe? (1:35)

How Chicken Eggs Can Save Animals’ Lives (1:50)

How RIFM’s Fragrance Safety Science Protects the Environment (2:04)

INFOX 2025: A Must-Attend Event for Fragrance Safety Stakeholders (0:48)

Long-Form Videos

The Strength of Chemical Clustering and the Legacy of Read-Across (30:00)

The Strength of What We Know: RIFM’s Next-Generation Risk Assessments and Real-World Exposure (28:01)

Major Milestones

RIFM celebrated 10 years of open access to all its peer-reviewed fragrance safety publications.

Safety assessments covering more than 2,300 discrete and NCS fragrance ingredients are now published and available via the Fragrance Material Safety Resource Center.

RIFM in Demand: Lecturing, Moderating, Mentoring

RIFM Principal Scientist Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, was tapped to participate as a lecturer-mentor in Rutgers University’s Risk Assessment Bootcamp. Dr. Sadekar also oversaw RIFM’s Summer Internship program.

RIFM Postdoctoral Researcher Marissa Guttenberg, PhD, moderated an SOT career panel for graduate students.

RIFM Director of Scientific Operations, Danielle Botelho, PhD, advanced RIFM’s NCS risk assessment science for German cosmetics assessors as part of a German Society for Scientific and Applied Cosmetics (DGK) and Industrial Association for Personal Care and Detergents (IKW) seminar for cosmetics safety assessors

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Advancing chemical grouping: development and application of signature-based structure-activity groups for non-animal safety assessments

Quantitative next generation risk assessment for skin sensitization – application of regression models based on in vitro data to estimate point of departure

Applicability Domain of Peroxidase Peptide Reactivity Assay (PPRA): Chemical Structure Analysis and Grouping of Peptide Depletion Patterns

Aquatic risk of fragrance materials: advancing prioritization in aquatic systems

Updates to the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, Inc. Confirmation of No Induction in Human Test Standard Protocol

The Chicken Egg Genotoxicity Assay (CEGA): Assessing Target Tissue Exposure and Metabolism in the Embryo-Fetal Chicken Livers

Responses of an In Vitro Coculture Alveolar Model for the Prediction of Respiratory Sensitizers (ALIsens®) Following Exposure to Skin Sensitizers and Non-Sensitizers

A Proof-of-Concept for Safety Evaluation of Inhalation Exposure to Known Respiratory Irritants Using In Vitro and In Silico Methods

Use and limitations of clinical data in the identification and classification of low molecular weight chemicals (LMWCs) as respiratory sensitizers: recommendations for improvement

Incorporating Singaporean habits and practices for cosmetics and personal care products into a global consumer aggregate exposure model

A proposed screening strategy for evaluating the genotoxicity potential of botanicals and botanical extracts

In vitro human skin absorption of ethyl salicylate, pentyl salicylate, and (Z)-3-hexenyl salicylate from topical formulations: Effects on permeation and distribution

Presentations & Conference Spotlights

Asia

China: RIFM Principal Scientist Isabelle Lee, PhD, presented on skin sensitization thresholds at the 2025 IUTOX 17th International Congress of Toxicology.

Korea: RIFM Principal Scientist Gretchen Ritacco, MS, presented on the Creme RIFM Aggregate Exposure Model for the 2025 International Symposium for Risk Assessment on Cosmetic Products.

RIFM President Anne Marie Api, PhD, Fellow ATS, met with representatives of the Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute (KCII) to discuss areas of mutual interest in fragrance safety and research collaboration.

Dr. Api also participated in the Fragrance Safety & Risk Assessment Workshop in Seoul, organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and the Foreign Investment Ombudsman, in collaboration with the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea. The workshop featured two presentations by Dr. Api, highlighting RIFM’s Safety Assessment Program and the Quantitative Risk Assessment approach for dermal sensitization of fragrance ingredients.

Europe

Austria: RIFM Principal Scientist Aurelia Lapczynski presented environmental safety research at the SETAC Europe 2025 conference.

France: RIFM’s INFOX® 2025 in Paris focused on the legacy and future of innovative fragrance safety science and featured presentations by RIFM President Anne Marie Api, PhD, Fellow ATS, RIFM Director of Scientific Operations, Danielle Botelho, PhD, RIFM Executive Director, Technical Information & Services, Christen Sachse Vasquez, RIFM Principal Scientists Aurelia Lapczynski, Gretchen Ritacco, MS, Kaushal Joshi, PhD, DABT, Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, and Isabelle Lee, PhD, and RIFM Senior Scientist Holger Moustakas, PhD, as well as Expert Panel for Fragrance Safety Chair, Donald V. Belsito, MD, and Expert Panel Members Aldert H. Piersma, PhD, and Professor Wolfgang Dekant, PhD.

Greece: Cutting-edge fragrance safety science was advanced at the 59th Congress of the European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX 2025) by RIFM Scientists Chaitra Deodhar, PhD, and Maura Lavelle, MS, and RIFM Senior Associate Scientists Arianna Bartlett, PhD, and Jake Muldoon, PhD.

United Kingdom: RIFM Principal Scientist Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, presented on inhalation safety and NAMs at AIT 2025.

North America

Delaware: RIFM Principal Scientist Yax Thakkar, PhD, presented on fragrance genotoxicity at HESI Global’s GTA Annual Meeting.

Florida: RIFM Principal Scientists Kaushal Joshi, PhD, DABT, Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, Senior Scientist Holger Moustakas, PhD, and RIFM Senior Associate Scientist Jake Muldoon, PhD, championed Fragrance Safety Research at the Society of Toxicology’s 64th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. Dr. Moustakas also co-chaired a special workshop session at SOT, titled “Unlocking the Power of Read-Across for Safety Assessment: Current Practices and Approaches,” at the same event.

RIFM Principal Scientist Isabelle Lee, PhD, and RIFM President Anne Marie Api, PhD, Fellow ATS, presented animal-free methodology posters at the American Contact Dermatitis Society’s 36th Annual Meeting.

Dr. Lee also delivered the keynote address at the 8th World Candle Congress.

Maryland: RIFM Principal Scientist Gretchen Ritacco, MS, shared how fragrance botanicals are kept safe at ASCCT.

Oregon: RIFM Associate Scientist Samantha Crotty; Safety Assessment Team Researcher Marissa Guttenberg, PhD; and Principal Scientist and Lead of RIFM’s Environmental Program, Aurelia Lapczynski, co-presented a poster titled “Exposure Driven Environmental Risk Assessment – a Case Study on Fragrance Materials” at the SETAC North America conference in Portland.

Washington, DC: RIFM took center stage at the American Chemical Society’s Fall 2025 “Innovations in Chemistry” meeting with a series of presentations, including a half-day symposium on chemical toxicology in fragrance safety presided over by RIFM Senior Scientist Holger Moustakas, PhD, featuring presentations by RIFM Principal Scientists Aurelia Lapczynski, Isabelle Lee, PhD, and Gretchen Ritacco, MS, in concert with colleagues from the US Food & Drug Administration, the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Creme Global, and the Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne.

RIFM Principal Scientist Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, presented on RIFM’s evolving approach to inhalation exposure, including the use of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and integrated in vitro and in silico tools to support non-animal safety assessments, at the Alliance for Risk Assessment Workshop.

South America

Brazil: RIFM President Anne Marie Api, PhD, Fellow ATS, RIFM Director of Scientific Operations Danielle Botelho, PhD, RIFM Principal Scientist Aurelia Lapczynski, and RIFM Senior Associate Scientist Isabella Schember, PhD, showcased next-generation risk assessment at a special lunch session at the 13th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences. At the same event, RIFM Principal Scientists Kaushal Joshi, PhD, DABT, and Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, along with Dr. Schember and Lapczynski, highlighted RIFM’s NAMs leadership with presentations covering human health and environmental safety.