Bay laurel leaf oil
Under the IFRA Standards a rinse-off soap may hold up to 0.052 % of this oil, a limit set by its Methyl eugenol.
IFRA maximum for soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- Methyl eugenol
- 3.22 %
- Eugenol
- 1.33 %
- Estragole
- 0.16 %
- Geraniol
- 0.05 %
- 2-Hexenal
- 0.03 %
Worked out from typical levels. A supplier's certificate for your lot comes first, and its figure is the one to follow.
Check a blend against its IFRA limits and list its allergens in the fragrance and allergen calculator.
How essential oils behave in soap, and how much to use: Scenting soap.
Identity and labelling
Laurus Nobilis Leaf Oil
- Botanical name
- Laurus nobilis
- CAS
- 8002-41-3, 8007-48-5
The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 359): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.
Only the leaf oil may be used: oil from the seeds of Laurus nobilis is a prohibited substance (Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex II, No 359).
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Bay laurel oil is steam-distilled from the leaves of the sweet bay tree, Laurus nobilis, the bay leaf of the kitchen, and Turkey grows almost all of the world's laurel leaves. It smells fresh and camphor-like from its 1,8-cineole, with a spicy warmth. Older soap books may mean West Indian bay, a different tree whose oil scented bay rum and shaving soaps (Simmons and Appleton).
Faiola uses bay laurel as an accent beside balsam Peru, at about 1.2 % of the oils. That is many times the IFRA figure on this page, which is among the lowest here because the oil carries a few percent of methyl eugenol (EFSA). The figure is the ceiling, and it leaves bay laurel a trace note in a blend at most.
The SCCS counts laurel oil among established contact allergens, and only the leaf oil may be used: oil from the seeds is banned in EU cosmetics.
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: LAURUS NOBILIS LEAF OIL, European Commission
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, European Commission. Annex, entry 359
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Bay laurel essential oil as an accent with balsam Peru, 0.4 oz in 33.1 oz of oils; bay laurel among oils made by steam distillation
- W. H. Simmons and H. A. Appleton, The Handbook of Soap Manufacture, Scott, Greenwood & Son (1908). Bay oil of the trade distilled from the West Indian Pimenta acris, used for shaving soaps and bay rum
- Paparella and colleagues, A review of the botany, volatile composition, biochemical and molecular aspects, and traditional uses of Laurus nobilis, Plants 11, MDPI (2022). Turkey grows about 97 % of the world's laurel leaves
- EFSA FEEDAP Panel, Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of an essential oil from the leaves of Laurus nobilis L. (laurel leaf oil) for all animal species, EFSA Journal (2023). Steam distillation of the leaves; about half 1,8-cineole; methyl eugenol 2.3 to 4 % in the batches tested
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Laurus nobilis oil among the established contact allergens in humans
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Annexes II and III, via CosIng, European Commission. Annex II, entry 359: oil from the seeds of Laurus nobilis is prohibited