Black pepper oil
IFRA's annex does not list this oil, so no maximum is worked out for it here. Ask your supplier for its IFRA certificate.
IFRA maximum for soap
not in IFRA's annex
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
Piper Nigrum Fruit Oil
- Botanical name
- Piper nigrum
- CAS
- 84929-41-9
- EC
- 284-524-7
The EU does not name this oil itself as an allergen to label, but some of its constituents may be: the fragrance allergen tool works them out for a recipe.
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Black pepper oil is steam-distilled from the dried, unripe fruit of the pepper vine, Piper nigrum (ISO 3061), and the spice itself comes mostly from Vietnam, India, Brazil and Indonesia (FAO). It smells dry, woody and warm, like freshly ground pepper, from caryophyllene, limonene and pinene.
Faiola lists black pepper among the essential oils that behave well in cold process soap. Her recipes pair it with redistilled orange or lemongrass, or use it alone, at 1.5 to 4 % of the oils, and Grosso describes its scent as sweet, peppery and woody. It gives citrus and lavender blends weight without sweetness.
IFRA's annex gives no figure for black pepper oil, so the ceiling is your supplier's certificate. Limonene and pinene oxidise in air into stronger skin sensitisers (SCCS), so buy small amounts and keep the bottle cool, full and closed.
Recipes that use it
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: PIPER NIGRUM FRUIT OIL, European Commission
- ISO 3061:2008, oil of black pepper, International Organization for Standardization (2008). Steam distillation of the unripe fruit; β-caryophyllene, limonene, δ-3-carene and α-pinene as main components
- FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products: pepper (Piper spp.), 2024, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2024). Vietnam, India, Brazil and Indonesia the largest pepper producers
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Black pepper among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Black pepper with orange 10x or lemongrass, or alone, at 1.5 to 4.1 % of the oils
- Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition, Adams Media (2013). Black pepper: sweet, peppery, woody
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Oxidation products of limonene and other fragrance terpenes are potent sensitisers