soapformulator
EN
Cinnamomum cassia

Cassia oil

Under the IFRA Standards a rinse-off soap may hold up to 0.61 % of this oil, a limit set by its Cinnamic aldehyde.

IFRA maximum for soap

0.61 % at most, of the soap

Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:

Cinnamic aldehyde
79.5 %
o-Methoxycinnamaldehyde
9 %
Coumarin
2 %
Benzaldehyde
1 %
Cinnamic alcohol
0.2 %
Benzyl benzoate
0.1 %
Eugenol
0.1 %
Isoeugenol
0.1 %

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

Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil

Botanical name
Cinnamomum cassia
CAS
84961-46-6, 8007-80-5
EC
284-635-0

The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 348): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.

What it is and how it behaves in soap

Cassia oil is steam-distilled from the leaves, leaf stalks and twigs of Chinese cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia (EFSA). China grows most of it, chiefly in Guangxi and Guangdong, and Vietnam grows it too. It smells hot, sweet and unmistakably of cinnamon, and about four-fifths of it is cinnamic aldehyde.

That makes it one of the harder oils to soap. Cavitch warns that cassia, like clove, can make fresh soap overreact, and Faiola reaches for slow, high-olive recipes when she uses accelerating oils such as cinnamon. Cinnamic aldehyde is also a strong skin sensitiser, so the IFRA figure on this page is low; it is the ceiling, and it keeps cassia to an accent in a blend. Cassia gave Brown Windsor soap its characteristic smell (Simmons and Appleton).

Keep the bottle away from pets: the Merck Veterinary Manual lists cassia and cinnamon oils among those that may harm the liver of cats and dogs.

Sources

All essential oils