Lime oil
Under the IFRA Standards a rinse-off soap may hold up to 4.76 % of this oil, a limit set by its 7-Methoxycoumarin.
IFRA maximum for soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- Geranial
- 2.6 %
- Neral
- 1.7 %
- Citronellal
- 0.5 %
- 7-Methoxycoumarin
- 0.21 %
- trans-Carvyl acetate
- 0.2 %
- Geraniol
- 0.15 %
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
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
- Botanical name
- Citrus aurantiifolia
- CAS
- 8008-26-2, 90063-52-8
- EC
- 290-010-3
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
Lime oil comes in two kinds, both from the Mexican or Key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia, with Mexico the main source. Distilled lime oil is made from the juice or the crushed whole fruit (ISO 3519) and smells of sweet, candied lime; cold-pressed lime comes from the crushed fruit or the peel (ISO 3809) and smells of fresh zest.
Both fade from cold process soap. Faiola anchors lime with the sturdier lemongrass and uses it at 2.4 to 4 % of the oils; Cable uses 0.7 to 1.6 %, and Grosso finds lime fills out a citrus blend. IFRA's annex lists both kinds: the 7-methoxycoumarin typical of cold-pressed lime holds it to 4.76 % of the finished soap, the maximum on this page, while distilled lime has no IFRA limit in soap.
Cold-pressed lime is phototoxic, and IFRA restricts it in leave-on products; distilled lime is not phototoxic (EFSA). The phototoxicity limit does not apply to rinse-off soap. Citrus oils go off within months (Cavitch), so buy a little at a time and keep it cold.
Recipes that use it
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: CITRUS AURANTIFOLIA OIL, European Commission
- ISO 3519:2005, Oil of lime distilled, Mexican type [Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle], International Organization for Standardization (2005). Distilled from the juice or the crushed whole fruit
- ISO 3809:2004, Oil of lime (cold pressed), Mexican type [Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle], obtained by mechanical means, International Organization for Standardization (2004). Obtained from the crushed whole fruit or from the peel
- EFSA FEEDAP Panel, Safety and efficacy of feed additives consisting of expressed lemon oil and its fractions from Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck and of lime oil from Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle, EFSA Journal (2021). Distilled lime oil from Mexico is not phototoxic
- The European market potential for essential oils, CBI, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2026). Mexico, Peru and the USA the main exporters of other citrus oils, lime among them, to the EU
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Volatile lime anchored with sturdier lemongrass; lime at 2.4 to 4 % of the oils
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Lime at 0.7 to 1.6 % of the oils
- Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition, Adams Media (2013). Lime fills out a citrus blend
- IFRA Standard: Citrus oils and other furocoumarins containing essential oils (Amendment 49), International Fragrance Association (2020). Lime oil expressed among the furocoumarin-containing oils restricted in leave-on products; rinse-off products excluded
- Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing (1995). Citrus oils are vulnerable after about six months