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As the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) marks its 60th Anniversary, its participation in the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 65th Annual Meeting (March 22–25, 2026, San Diego) reflects both the strength of its scientific foundation and its continued role in advancing fragrance safety. Across multiple presentations, RIFM scientists will highlight how decades of research inform today’s exposure-driven and non-animal approaches, while also recognizing the next generation of toxicological scientists through a special series of trainee awards.

A central contribution to this year’s program comes from RIFM Principal Scientist Kaushal Joshi, PhD, DABT, and RIFM President Anne Marie Api, PhD, Fellow ATS, whose poster, “Demonstrating the difference between hazard and risk: The relevance of high-dose experimental animal study results to real-world fragrance exposure in consumers,” examines how high-dose experimental findings relate to real-world consumer exposure, applying multiple exposure scenarios. Using p-cymene as a case study, their work demonstrates that doses associated with adverse effects in traditional toxicity studies are far beyond those encountered in realistic use conditions, rendering them irrelevant to real-world exposure scenarios. (RIFM published a safety assessment of p-cymene in 2021.) The work underscores the importance of interpreting toxicological data in the context of exposure. “This work reinforces the importance of aligning experimental findings with real-world exposure,” said Dr. Joshi. Dr. Api added, “Ensuring that safety assessments reflect how people actually use products is central to advancing the science.”

On Monday, March 23, RIFM Scientist Maura Lavelle, MS, will present “Outside the validated range: Performing a Weight of Evidence (WoE) assessment of the skin sensitization potential for fragrance chemicals positive at high concentrations in the Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA),” a poster challenging the interpretation of high-concentration LLNA results. “A weight-of-evidence approach allows us to better understand sensitization potential in a way that reflects real-world conditions,” Lavelle said.

That afternoon, RIFM Senior Associate Scientist Jake Muldoon, PhD, presenting with Principal Scientist Nikaeta Sadekar, PhD, DABT, will share “Evaluating Chemical and Clinical Spaces: The Bifunctional Reactivity of Respiratory Sensitizers in Comparison to Skin Sensitizers and Non-Sensitizing Irritants,” identifying a potential mechanistic distinction between respiratory sensitizers and other classes. “These insights help refine how we evaluate respiratory sensitization potential,” explained Dr. Muldoon.

RIFM Safety Assessment Team Researcher Marissa Guttenberg, PhD, will present “A retrospective study on the use of historical Local Lymph Node Assay EC3 values to derive doses for the Confirmation of No Induction in Humans test,” confirming that historical LLNA EC3 values generally provide protective estimates when deriving safe exposure levels and supporting the transition toward more human-relevant, non-animal methods. “This work helps connect established datasets with emerging approaches,” said Dr. Guttenberg.

On Tuesday, March 24, Dr. Sadekar will present “Odor perception versus real-world fragrance exposure via inhalation,” alongside related work examining odor thresholds, short-term exposure modeling, and repeated-exposure scenarios using in vitro systems. Together, these studies show that consumer inhalation exposures to fragrance ingredients are exceedingly low. “Across multiple approaches, the data consistently demonstrate minimal real-world exposure,” said Dr. Sadekar.

Also on Tuesday, RIFM Principal Scientist Gretchen Ritacco, MS, will present “New Approach Methodologies for Photoallergy: Results of a Set of Reference Photoallergens in the Photo-DPRA, Photo-Keratinosens, and Photo h-CLAT,” while Scientist Chaitra Deodhar, PhD, will present “Advancing Photoallergy Risk Assessment: Integrating the ROS Assay and UV-Vis Spectroscopy Under Full-Spectrum (UVA and UVB) Conditions for Tiered Screening of Fragrance Materials.” Together, these posters advance photoallergy assessment using New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). “This work represents an important step forward in refining photoallergy evaluation,” said Ritacco. Deodhar added, “Improving screening strategies strengthens both confidence and efficiency in safety assessment.”

The program concludes on Wednesday, March 25, with a symposium featuring RIFM Principal Scientist Isabelle Lee, PhD, titled “In Vitro Testing for Skin Sensitization of Mixtures: Where Science Stands Today,” which includes her presentation, “Replacing Human Testing with NAMs: Deriving Points of Departure for quantitative risk assessment of Natural Complex Substances and Mixtures.” “Advancing non-animal, quantitative approaches is critical as we address increasingly complex materials,” said Dr. Lee.

As part of its 60th Anniversary activities at SOT, RIFM will also present a special series of Trainee Awards recognizing outstanding early-career scientists across multiple disciplines. Presented by RIFM scientists throughout the meeting, these awards reflect the Institute’s long-standing commitment to supporting emerging talent and advancing scientific collaboration. “Celebrating 60 years of RIFM is not only about our history, but about investing in the future of fragrance safety,” said Dr. Api. “Recognizing these researchers helps ensure that the science continues to evolve for decades to come.”

Together, these presentations and recognitions demonstrate how RIFM’s six decades of science continue to inform the future of fragrance safety, strengthening methodologies, deepening understanding of exposure, and supporting the safe use of fragrance materials worldwide.