How to find info on IFRA

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If I interpreted the link above correctly, it is for the maximum of certain substances permitted in essential oils....not the maximum essential oils we can put in a product.

On the IFRA website, I saw a document that outlined the max of the substances in the above article that you can have in various products. Do we have to calculate how much we can put in ourselves (like, substance 'X' is allowed at a 0.7% usage rate in soap, and substance 'X' makes up 39% of essential oil 'Z', etc....), or are the essential oils actually listed somewhere with regards to how much we can use?

I calculated some of them out, but it's kind of a pain, and if there is a list of what use rate per essential oil (and not the individual components like cinnamic alcohol) for different uses (soap, deodorant, etc) that would save a lot of effort!
 
Thank you carebear. Let me see if I understand. This document lists restricted components of certain essential oils, correct? This would be important because I wouldn't want to exceed the maximum amount of restricted components in certain applications.
I guess the IFRA doesn't list recommended/maximum amounts of essential oils for soapmaking purposes - that would be too easy! Geez if only my supplier would give useful information instead of the normal .25oz PPO blah, blah, blah. I know the rule of thumb for using EO's, but I have looked high and low for a good usable percentage of Spruce and Balsam Fir EO PPO and have come up with nothing.
Thank you for your time ^_^
Carolyn
 
Thanks, awesome link! Some of those are a bit surprising, like the ylang and peppermint.

When I have time I think I'm going to set up some kind of spreadsheet to calculate permitted EO usage for different categories. If I ever get it done I'll be willing to share!
 
Fiddletree what I would like is a generally used amount PPO of essential oils for CP soap. Lots of newbies ask about them. It takes a long time to glean information about what experienced soapers are doing. I know about common eo's, but what about less common ones (like niaouli) ? Plus some are irritants (clove, cinnamon) and some can be dangerous (wintergreen). Obviously some people like milder scents and some like stronger scents, but a guideline would be a great starting point.
Carolyn
 
Yes, I can find MSDS on eo's on New Directions Aromatics website. However, I can't find suggested levels of usage. That would be GREAT - because they have a large selection of essential oils.
 
carolyntn said:
Fiddletree what I would like is a generally used amount PPO of essential oils for CP soap. Lots of newbies ask about them. It takes a long time to glean information about what experienced soapers are doing. I know about common eo's, but what about less common ones (like niaouli) ? Plus some are irritants (clove, cinnamon) and some can be dangerous (wintergreen). Obviously some people like milder scents and some like stronger scents, but a guideline would be a great starting point.
Carolyn

It's not to hard to go from % of a formula to PPO but I get your point.

And a heads up... I don't think I will trust the 'wholesale supplies plus' EO guidelines because it seems they have some things wrong... this is what they have for wintergreen EO:
IFRA Maximum Use Level:
Lip Products: 100.00%
Lotions, Creams, Perfume: 100.00%
Body Powder: 100.00%
Bar Soap: 100.00%
I'll be calculating my own values I think....seriously, they could get someone killed giving out false information like that.
 
IFRA Maximum Use Level:
Lip Products: 100.00%
Lotions, Creams, Perfume: 100.00%
Body Powder: 100.00%
Bar Soap: 100.00%

Fiddletree - I see this a lot, but it is confusing. Ok, 100% of what safe amount??

BTW, I like your blog. Myself married a Frenchman and have lived/still live partly in France. I completely understand your culture shock!
Carolyn
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I interpret that to mean that 100% of the weight of the product. Like, they have cinnamon at 0.5%, and peppermint at 2%, both of which make sense. Tell me if I'm interpreting it wrong! But I think there is no safe amount of wintergreen that you can put in lip balm.

glad you like my blog! I seriously need to update it.....
 
A small amount can kill a person if ingested. I've read that it can take as little as 4 ml to kill an adult, but can take up to 30 ml. I guess it depends on the person.

I think that if just a few milliliters of a substance can kill a person, it shouldn't be put in lip balm.
 
A heads up! It's not done yet but I'm so excited that I need to tell someone and my husband lost enthusiasm when I said I wasn't selling it....

I've come up with a really nifty EO use calculator! Takes into account the chemical components, allowed usage for the different IRFA categories, % usage (also can put in PPO for soap)! Also sums together same components for different EOs to make sure blends with similar components don't make the total go over the limit and tells you when it is over, and also when it is to the level (0.001%) where you need to list something considered an allergen on the ingredients.

I'll post it when I have it done. All EO suppliers, and even different batches, have different levels of the chemical components, so the levels should still be reprogrammed, and I only have 32 EOs in there (the ones I use), but it should be really useful! If nothing else (if someone doesn't know how to use excel very well or is lazy) it should be a good guideline. I don't know how useful this would be in the US, but in the EU it sure is!

I'm so excited!!!!!
 
yay :D I can't believe I didn't see this thread before as I have been looking for this info too. good info here!
 

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