# % of EOs in solid perfume?



## mdzura (May 12, 2010)

Hi everyone. I'm new to the aromatherapy world and I'm interested in making a solid perfume. Can anyone tell me what % of essential oils is safe for a solid perfume? Or does anyone have a link to EO percentage safety? Thanks!


----------



## jadiebugs1 (Jul 20, 2011)

I'm just posting to bump this...I would like to know too.  I am going to attempt to make some solid perfumes and have not a clue yet how to do it.


----------



## carebear (Jul 20, 2011)

Safe?  There is no hard and fast rule - that's like asking "How much seasoning should I put in my soup".  You will need to research your individual essential oils.  The EU has strict maximums for some components, the US doesn't necessarily.


----------



## soapbuddy (Jul 20, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> Safe?  There is no hard and fast rule - that's like asking "How much seasoning should I put in my soup".  You will need to research your individual essential oils.  The EU has strict maximums for some components, the US doesn't necessarily.


Exactly. Or buy some books and study up on the safety of essential oils.
Martin Watt's Aromatherapy book comes to mind.


----------



## Lindy (Jul 20, 2011)

3% is considered therapeutic and in a leave-on product I wouldn't recommend going any higher.  I also recommend that you read up on the EO's you are going to use so you understand the contra-indicators which should appear on the packaging materials if you are at 3% or higher....

Cheers


----------



## carebear (Jul 20, 2011)

3% is dangerous for some - wintergreen for example


----------



## Lindy (Jul 21, 2011)

Actually Carebear Wintergreen is toxic when taken internally as is Eucalyptus and many other EO's.  Would I recommend Wintergreen - not in this lifetime nor would I carry it, there are however therapeutic uses for it and some aromatherapists use it, I'm just not one of them.

Something else to keep in mind is that small children and babies are at therapeutic levels of EO at 1.5%.  If you look at the EU regs for the safety assessments with regards to EO's it is really fascinating as to what the limitations are and how they do break it down oil by oil for soap and different again for leave-on.  I think they are good guidelines and worth knowing even though we don't have those restrictions here.


----------



## carebear (Jul 21, 2011)

wintergreen on skin can easily be absorbed by the skin.

some are toxic if absorbed, others are toxic on the skin.  there are issues with irritation, sensitization, etc - beyond outright toxicity.  

some EOs should not be used on humans at all - and these EOs are available easily.

but my point is that some materials are safe at high levels, and some NOT.  to give a flat "safe" number doesn't give that information.

for EXAMPLE: http://www.aromamedical.com/articles/eosafety.html


----------



## Lindy (Jul 21, 2011)

Carebear - all EO's are easily absorbed by the skin, this is why they are used therapeutically.  It is also why when you are trained in Clinical Aromatherapy you are taught where the therapeutic ranges are for *all* essential oils.  When you are learning to blend you learn where those percentages are and why.  You also learn what the contra-indicators are for each oil and they are not all the same which is why if you are using over 3% combined EO then you should be putting those contra-indicators on.

Every person has the ability to be sensitive to each and every essential oil and with prolonged exposure develop an allergy.  Essential oils in their pure form were never meant to be used as perfume, but rather a component in perfume and even then they are a small percentage of it.  But that's a whole other topic which I wish I were more familiar with.

Essential oils in their present day form were meant to be used therapeutically but they smell so wonderful that we, as handcarfters, decided to adopt them as our own creating a niche market for them which has grown significantly.  Unfortunately the knowledge in dealing with them safely and responsibly has not grown.

There is a list of essential oils not recommend for use which are available to people with absolutely no knowledge of the oil.  I have a cousin who as a baby died from ingesting Wintergreen oil - for a long time it got pulled off the general market, but now is available again without restriction.  The other oils that are not recommend are:

* Ajowan;
* Bitter Almond;
* Boldo;
* Buchu;
* Calamus;
* Camphot;
* Cassia;
* Costus;
* Elecampane;
* Horseradish;
* Jaborandi;
* Mugwort (Armoise);
* Mustard;
* Oregano;
* Parsley Seed;
* Pennyroyal;
* Rue;
* Sassafras;
* Savin;
* Savory;
* Southernwood;
* Tansy;
* Thuja;
* Wintergreen;
* Wormseed;
* Wormwood.

The list above is only the Essential Oils not the foods - big difference.  Any aromatherapy training you take is going to tell you not to use those or to have them in your home.  And yet Wintergreen & Bitter Almond are both readily available.

For Children there is a whole other list but this one is for what is safe for children and at what levels.  I really recommend Valerie Ann Worwood's Essential Oils for the Healthy Child.... exceptionally reading and some wonderful remedies in there.

Carebear - I've not heard of essential oils that shouldn't be used on humans - which ones are they?  That sounds like a great tidbit of information and thank you for the link - interesting information.  There are certain conditions that restrict what essential oils can be used and here's an interesting one.  A person who is an alcoholic requires *Less* essential oil than someone who is not an alcoholic.  In fact the levels used for them are the same as for people who have auto-immune challenges and for seniours.

Cheers


----------



## carebear (Jul 21, 2011)

Keep in mind, Lindy, that this is a soaping & B+B forum.  People here make products like lotions and such - and most are NOT "aromatherapy experts".  For example, 3% wintergreen MAY be something you can get away with in a product to be applied in a very limited area - but 3% in a body lotion could well spell disaster.

The person who started this thread is clearly not an expert in the use of EOs, "therapeutic" or otherwise - or she wouldn't have asked the question.

I think it's important that we supply the caveats (experts only, small application areas, may sensitize the skin, can cause sensitivity to the sun, limit exposure) - and not make blanket statements because readers can, and will, take it and run with it.  I've seen it happen.


----------



## Lindy (Jul 21, 2011)

Carebear I know exactly what you mean.  I think the UK has the right of it when it comes to EO's and our industry.  They restrict each oil based on the molecules that make up that oil so that there is never a risk of someone using too much in a product and causing harm to themselves or others.

The levels I give Carebear are the ones that are considered the highest % before being considered therapeutic.  For instance - when I am designing a therapeutic product I am using higher percentages, however like you said, I have the training to understand what I am doing.

It's one of my biggest pet peeves is that these oils are available without any qualification.  Did you know that just the smallest amount of Eucalyptus ingested will kill you!  And yet it is one of the most beneficial oils available for a large variety of treatments.

My cousin died because Wintergreen smells just like gum and she was all of 3 years old.  The wintergreen was stored high in the shelves so that it wouldn't be where little sticky fingers could get at it.   She had her big sister help her to climb up on the counter so she could reach the bottle and she drank it.  Dead within half and hour and nothing could be done about it.  I guess that's why I am so passionate about getting people to understand what they are using and the dangers associated with it.  Yes I expect if a small child drank a small bottle of FO that would kill them too, but I think people tend to be more careful of "chemicals" whereas they see essential oils as natural and therefore safe.

So good reminder and I will start to put in the additional info.

Cheers


----------



## soapbuddy (Jul 21, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> Keep in mind, Lindy, that this is a soaping & B+B forum.  People here make products like lotions and such - and most are NOT "aromatherapy experts".  For example, 3% wintergreen MAY be something you can get away with in a product to be applied in a very limited area - but 3% in a body lotion could well spell disaster.
> 
> The person who started this thread is clearly not an expert in the use of EOs, "therapeutic" or otherwise - or she wouldn't have asked the question.
> 
> I think it's important that we supply the caveats (experts only, small application areas, may sensitize the skin, can cause sensitivity to the sun, limit exposure) - and not make blanket statements because readers can, and will, take it and run with it.  I've seen it happen.


I would not use Wintergreen in any soap or B&B products. Too much of a  liability issue. Cassia in a *very* small amount should be fine in soap as it's a wash off product. Look up IFRA guidelines to give you a better idea which EO's are safe and which or not.


----------



## carebear (Jul 23, 2011)

Here is another example where 3% is WAAAAY over the limit

http://roberttisserand.com/2011/07/ques ... y-perfume/

Robert Tisserand is a well respected expert in the field of essential oils and does support aromatherapy (he's not quite the skeptic I am LOL).

"Therapeutic level" falls by the wayside as compared to safety.



> I would go along with the IFRA guideline of 0.8%. Ylang-ylang is, relatively speaking, one of the most skin-reactive essential oils.



I might also add that if aromatherapy has a therapeutic effect, then you need to think of it as a medication.  And NO way would all medications be assigned the same "therapeutic" use level, not to mention safe.


----------



## Lindy (Jul 25, 2011)

Carebear it's good to see you taking an active interest in Aromatherapy and putting aside your skepticism on it actually being therapeutic.

It would be nice if people would see essential oils for what they are, over the counter drugs, however I don't see that happening in North America anytime soon and soap makers love some of the fragrances.  I would love to see people keep Ylang Ylang to a 0.8% level in their products - not going to happen though.

So when I give a "general" guideline it is just that "general"  Each essential oil is metabolized by the body at different rates and some of them should only be used for a short course of time.

The OP was asking for some levels, unless we want to have an instructor come in, list evey essential oil out there then a general has to be given.  I'm pretty sure if I said "Don't use EO's in bath and body products including soaps" I would have been jumped on pretty hard for that.

Perhaps Carebear you would like to start a sticky thread which the aromatherapists in here could take each oil and give the guidelines to use, contra-indicators and %age of use for each sector; infants, toddlers, seniors, healthy adults, teenagers, people with compromised immune systems, alcoholics and drug addicts since each group has their own "general accepted as safe level" of use.....

Robert Tisserand is a very well respected author and he is the one that did the editing of "Gattefosse's Aromatherapy"......  again it's great to see you researching the material and accepting it as something real rather than hocus pocus.

Ciao


----------

