Cypress oil
None of the restricted materials in IFRA's annex limits this oil in rinse-off soap.
IFRA maximum for soap
no IFRA limit in soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- beta-Cedrene
- 0.38 %
- alpha-Cedrene
- 0.36 %
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
Cupressus Sempervirens Oil
- Botanical name
- Cupressus sempervirens
- CAS
- 84696-07-1, 8013-86-3
- EC
- 283-626-9
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
Cypress oil is steam-distilled from the shoots of the Mediterranean or Italian cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, and is used in perfumery and soapmaking (Selim and colleagues). It smells fresh, green and resinous, like a sun-warmed conifer.
Cable treats cypress as a middle note and uses it at 1.2 % of the oils with lemongrass and vetiver; it also sits well beside cedarwood, juniper or lavender. A light, fresh note, it benefits from a base such as cedarwood or patchouli to carry it through the cure (Fisher). The IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
Conifer oils are rich in terpenes such as pinene that oxidise in air, and oxidised terpenes are stronger skin sensitisers (SCCS). EU law admits cypress oil in cosmetics only while its peroxide value, a measure of that oxidation, is low, so buy it fresh and store it cool, full and tightly closed.
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: CUPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS OIL, European Commission
- Selim and colleagues, Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of the essential oil and methanol extract of the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.), BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14, BioMed Central (2014). The essential oil is distilled from the shoots and used in perfumery and soapmaking
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Cypress as a middle note, at 1.2 % of the oils with lemongrass and vetiver
- David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making, Creative Publishing International (2018). Base notes such as cedarwood and patchouli anchor blends and give them staying power
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Oxidation products of fragrance terpenes are potent sensitisers
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Annexes II and III, via CosIng, European Commission. Annex III, entry 123: the peroxide value of Cupressus sempervirens oil must be below 10 mmol/L