Citronella oil (Java)
Under the IFRA Standards a rinse-off soap may hold up to 1.7 % of this oil, a limit set by its Methyl eugenol.
IFRA maximum for soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- Citronellal
- 36 %
- Geraniol
- 22 %
- dl-Citronellol
- 11 %
- Citronellyl acetate
- 3 %
- Eugenol
- 0.9 %
- Citral
- 0.8 %
- Methyl eugenol
- 0.1 %
- Farnesal
- 0.01 %
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
Cymbopogon Winterianus Herb Oil
- Botanical name
- Cymbopogon winterianus
- CAS
- 91771-61-8
- EC
- 294-954-7
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
Java citronella oil is steam-distilled from the leaves of a tall grass, Cymbopogon winterianus, grown mainly in Java and Taiwan. About a third of it is citronellal and a fifth geraniol (SCCS), and it smells fresh, lemony and grassy with a rosy edge: the smell of citronella candles.
It is an old soap scent. In 1908 Simmons and Appleton called it very largely used for perfuming cheap soaps, Faiola lists citronella among the essential oils that behave well in cold process, and Cable uses it at 1.5 % of the oils with peppermint and lemongrass. The IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
Soap books sell citronella bars for camping, but soap is rinsed off and no soap keeps insects away. Cavitch lists citronella among the oils that can irritate some skin.
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: CYMBOPOGON WINTERIANUS HERB OIL, European Commission
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Java citronella: citronellal 31 to 40 %, geraniol 20 to 25 %; produced in Taiwan and Java
- W. H. Simmons and H. A. Appleton, The Handbook of Soap Manufacture, Scott, Greenwood & Son (1908). Citronella oil very largely used for perfuming cheap soaps
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Citronella among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Citronella at 1.5 % of the oils with peppermint and lemongrass
- Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing (1995). Citronella among oils that may be possible irritants