# IFRA Banned /Restricted Oils



## Lindy (Sep 12, 2013)

IFRA List of Banned/Restricted Oils 
			         Of course all essential oils and other natural aromatic materials  present issues of sensitisation if used in too high concentrations  however, the IFRA have identified specific oils that are either banned  for use in costmetics and perfumes or have restrictive limits.   Following is the current list of banned/restricted oils but this is  subject to changes.
*IFRA banned oils
*
*Cade oil crude* (prickly juniper, juniper tar) 
_  Juniperus oxycedrus 
_    Carcinogenic

*Calamus oil* (sweet flag, myrtle flag, sweet rush, and sweet sedge) 
_   Acorus calamus 
_    Carcinogenic (potentially high levels of b-asarone)

*Costus root *(kuth) 
_Saussurea costus_ 
    Sensitiser 

*Elecampane oil* (scabwort) 
_Inula helenium_ 
    Sensitiser

*Fig leaf absolute 
* _Ficus carica 
_    Sensitiser

*Horseradish oil* 
_Armoracia rusticana_ 
    Toxic, irritant

*Melissa oil*
_Melissa officinalis_
    Sensitiser

*Mustard oil* (black mustard) 
_Brassica nigra_ 
    Toxic, irritant

*Peru balsam (*balsam of Peru, Balsamo) 
_Myroxylon var. pereirae 
_    Sensitiser (distilled oil is allowed)
*Sade tree oil *(no further details??)

*Savin oil* 
_  Juniperus sabina _
    Toxic, sensitiser (Juniper phoenicea oil is allowed)

*Verbena oil* 
_Lippia citriodora / Aloysia triphylla_ 
    Sensitiser

*Tea absolute 
* _Thea sinensis / Camellia sinensis _
    Sensitiser

*Sassafras oil* 
_Sassafras albidum_ 
    Carcinogenic

*Stryax gum* (oriental sweet gum, storax) 
_Liquidambar orientalis_ 
    Sensitiser 

*Wormseed* (Epazote or Mexican Tea) 
_Chenopodium ambroisoides _(also known as _Chenopodium anthelminticum_)
    Toxic

*Wormwood oil 
*_    Artemisia absinthium_ 
    Neurotoxin

*IFRA restricted oils*

While  the following oils are not banned possible sensitisation and/or  phototoxicity may occur due to the amount of active compounds contained  within the oil.

*Angelica root oil* 
_    Angelica archangelica_ 
    Phototoxic 0.78%

*Bergamot oil* - Expressed (bergamot orange) 
_    Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia_ 
    Phototoxic 0.4%

*Bitter orange oil* (Seville orange) 
_Citrus aurantium_ 
    Phototoxic 1.4%

*Cassia oil (*cassia bark, Chinese cinnamon) 
_ Cinnamomum cassia 
_    Sensitiser 0.2%

*Cinnamon bark* (cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon) 
_Cinnamomum zeylanicum 
_    Sensitiser 0,2%

*Cumin oil* (comino, jeera) 
_    Cuminum cyminum _
    Phototoxic 0.4%

*Grapefruit oil* - Expressed
_    Citrus paradisi_ 
    Phototoxic 4%

*Lemon oil* - Cold Pressed
_ Citrus limon _
    Phototoxic 2%

*Lime oil* - Expressed
_    Citrus aurantiifolia_ 
    Phototoxic 0.7%

*Mandarin petigrain*
_Citrus_ 
    Phototoxic 0.165%

*Opoponax*
    Sensitiser

*Tagete oil and absolute* (muster-John-Henry, khaki weed, stinking Rodger) 
_Tagetes minuta_ 
    Phototoxic 0.05%
*Oakmoss absolute and resinoid* 
_    Evernia prunastri_ 
    Sensitiser 0.1%

*Pinaceae oils* (to have less than 10 millimoles peroxide per litre) 
    Pinaceae mugo, P. nigra, P. pinaster, P. sylvatica 
    Sensitiser

*Rue oil (*herb of grace, herbygrass) 
_Ruta graveolens_ 
    Sensitiser 0.78%

*Treemoss absolute* 
    Evernia furfuracea 
    Sensitiser 0.6%

This is courtesy of a site owned by Fresholi in Europe....


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## sistrum (Sep 13, 2013)

Thank you for posting this. I had asked earlier if Anise was still on the "do not use for anything list".  It's on mine but I wasn't sure if the list had been updated. Looks like they have taken it off. Good thing because everyone was using it anyway.


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## Stakie (Sep 13, 2013)

Thanks for the information!


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## neeners (Sep 13, 2013)

thanks for the info!


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## osso (Sep 13, 2013)

Very interesting, thanks for posting.


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## judymoody (Sep 13, 2013)

Great information.  Thanks for sharing it.


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## houseofwool (Sep 13, 2013)

Can this be made a sticky?


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## DeeAnna (Sep 13, 2013)

I really appreciate the info on IRFA banned/restricted oils -- thanks for sharing that, Lindy. I will update my notes.

On a related note, I learned this morning the FDA recently seized a shipment of rose geranium essential oil on the basis that it is "a new drug without an approved new drug application". 

Although the South African importer of the EO has never made any such claims, the FDA justified the seizure due to a claim made on an unrelated business website: "...Rose Geranium essential oil can be supportive in cases of infectious diseases, intestinal parasites, mouth and tooth pain..." (FWIW, I found this specific quote on anandaapothecary.com/ ) 

It seems ridiculous that one business is essentially being held responsible for drug claims made by another business, but there ya go. I don't know if the FDA has seized any product sold by the company making this claim, but it would not surprise me.

More: http://naturesgiftaromatherapy.blogspot.com/2013/09/rose-geranium-new-drug.html


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## sistrum (Sep 13, 2013)

That's exactly why it gets me so pissed when I see soap makers making claims about the ingredients used in their soaps. You never know when the government is going to go off and which direction they are going to go off in.


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## soap_rat (Sep 13, 2013)

I've started thrashing my way through understanding the IFRA documents, and I don't know why Melissa is on the banned list above?  If anyone can help me figure out a better process that would be great.  My understanding is that the Nerol and GeraniAl (not geraniOl) constituents named on one document (23320_GD_2013) is in fact Citral, which in the other document (23324_GD_2013) for Category 9 (soap) is limited to 5% of the finished product.

But I do know for sure that Clove should be on the restricted list above for its Eugenol and iso-eugenol.


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## Lindy (Sep 13, 2013)

Soap Rat they don't give any more information that was has been supplied here, at least from what I can find.

Everyone, I'm glad to be able to help...


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## Lindy (Sep 13, 2013)

What I find interesting is that Cade and other banned oils are easily available....


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## soap_rat (Sep 14, 2013)

Lindy, rectified cade is allowed provided certain stipulations are met regarding content of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.  I assume (hope?) the maker of the oil must provide paperwork to verify the content.  However it looks like crude cade (the forbidden one) is available too.


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## Lindy (Sep 15, 2013)

The problem is that they are available even though they are banned for fragrancing.  The IFRA is the organization that governs fragrancing and it is what we _*should*_ be following ourselves for fragrancing our soaps.  I know that many (_I hope not most_) don't really care about restrictions and will do what they want to no matter what, but if we are following best practices then we are following the IFRA.  Unfortunately I do have Cade and I'm not sure what to do about it to get rid of it.  No I won't sell it because I know about the ban.  roblem:


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