Clove leaf oil
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:
- Eugenol
- 85.3 %
- Isoeugenol
- 0.1 %
- Methyl eugenol
- 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
Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil
- Botanical name
- Syzygium aromaticum
- CAS
- 8015-97-2, 8000-34-8, 84961-50-2
- EC
- 284-638-7
The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 356): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Clove leaf oil is steam-distilled from the leaves of the clove tree, and Madagascar is its leading exporter, much of it from small, simple stills (Danthu and colleagues). It is mostly eugenol (EFSA), long the cheapest natural source of it (FAO), and smells sharper and more medicinal than clove bud, with less sweetness.
Faiola lists clove leaf among the essential oils that behave well in cold process, though she also calls clove a skin irritant to be used sparingly, and Cavitch warns that clove makes fresh soap overreact. Add it by hand at thin trace. The books keep clove small: about a teaspoon per pound of oils, roughly 1 % (Grosso), or 0.7 to 1.3 % (Cable), usually beside orange or cinnamon leaf. The IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
The SCCS counts clove oil, leaf or bud, among the allergens of special concern. Cats are especially sensitive to phenols such as eugenol (Merck Veterinary Manual).
Recipes that use it
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: EUGENIA CARYOPHYLLUS 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 356
- Danthu and colleagues, Le giroflier de Madagascar : une introduction réussie, un avenir à construire, Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 320, CIRAD (2014). Madagascar the world's leading exporter of clove essential oil, distilled from leaves in many small stills
- EFSA FEEDAP Panel, Safety and efficacy of feed additives consisting of essential oils derived from the flower buds or the leaves of Syzygium aromaticum (clove bud oil and clove leaf oil), EFSA Journal (2023). Steam distillation of the leaves; eugenol 79 to 86 %
- J. J. W. Coppen, Flavours and fragrances of plant origin (Non-Wood Forest Products 1), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1995). Clove leaf oil the cheapest source of eugenol
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Clove leaf among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap; clove a skin irritant to use sparingly
- Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing (1995). Clove and cassia can make the fresh soap mixture overreact
- Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition, Adams Media (2013). For spice oils such as clove, start with 1 teaspoon per pound of oils
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Clove at 0.7 to 1.3 % of the oils, with orange or cinnamon leaf
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Clove leaf and bud oil graded among the allergens of special concern
- Kia Benson, Toxicoses From Essential Oils in Animals, Merck Veterinary Manual, Merck & Co. (2025). Cats are very sensitive to phenol and phenolic compounds