Geranium oil
Under the IFRA Standards a rinse-off soap may hold up to 15.81 % of this oil, a limit set by its Geraniol.
IFRA maximum for soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- l-Citronellol
- 21.1 %
- Geraniol
- 17.7 %
- Citral
- 0.5 %
- Citronellyl acetate
- 0.5 %
- Citronellal
- 0.15 %
- cis-3-Hexenyl isovalerate
- 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
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
- Botanical name
- Pelargonium graveolens
- CAS
- 90082-51-2, 8000-46-2
- EC
- 290-140-0
The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 364): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Geranium oil is steam-distilled from the fresh or slightly wilted leaves and stems of scented pelargoniums, the rose geraniums. ISO recognises North African, Chinese, Bourbon (Réunion) and Madagascan types, which smell a little different (ISO 4731); Faiola's recipes use Egyptian. All smell strongly of rose with a green, minty edge.
It is one of the florals that last in soap. Grosso finds it holds up extremely well and warns it can overpower on its own; Faiola lists Egyptian geranium among the oils that behave well and uses it to anchor bright citrus. Recipes use it at 1.5 to 3.1 % of the oils (Grosso; Cable), and Faiola goes higher. The IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
Its geraniol becomes a stronger sensitiser as it oxidises (SCCS), so keep the bottle cool and closed. Cavitch warns that some "rose geranium" is blended from cheaper rosy oils, and geranium in turn is used to fake rose oil (Mykhailenko).
Recipes that use it
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS FLOWER 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 364
- ISO 4731:2012, Essential oil of geranium (Pelargonium × ssp.), International Organization for Standardization (2012). Steam distillation of the fresh or slightly withered herbaceous parts; North Africa, China, Bourbon and Madagascar types
- Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition, Adams Media (2013). Geranium holds up extremely well in soap and can be overpowering on its own; rose geranium at 1.5 to 3.1 % of the oils
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Egyptian geranium (rose geranium) among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Egyptian geranium as an anchoring note for bright citrus; used at 2.3 to 5.9 % of the oils
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Geranium at 1.5 % of the oils
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Oxidation products of geraniol are potent sensitisers
- Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing (1995). Some rose geranium oils are compounded from other, more plentiful plants
- Olha Mykhailenko, Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin on rose (Rosa × damascena) essential oil, ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (2024). Geranium oil among the oils used to adulterate rose oil