Patchouli oil
IFRA's annex does not list this oil, so no maximum is worked out for it here. Ask your supplier for its IFRA certificate.
IFRA maximum for soap
not in IFRA's annex
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
Pogostemon Cablin Oil
- Botanical name
- Pogostemon cablin
- CAS
- 8014-09-3
The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 365): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Patchouli oil is steam-distilled from the dried leaves of Pogostemon cablin (ISO 3757), and nine-tenths of the world's patchouli comes from Indonesia (CBI). It smells earthy, sweet and musty, and it is one of the few oils that improve with age (Cavitch).
It is a classic anchor for blends. Failor counts it among the fixatives, and Fisher uses patchouli or cedarwood to give blends weight. It is strong: Cavitch warns that a little too much drowns everything else, and Grosso notes it tints soap a light tan. Faiola and Cable use it at 1.4 to 2.9 % of the oils, usually in a blend. IFRA's annex gives no figure for patchouli oil, so the ceiling is your supplier's certificate.
Gurjun balsam, a cheaper resin oil, is its most frequent adulterant (Sufriadi and colleagues), so buy from a supplier who tests.
Recipes that use it
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: POGOSTEMON CABLIN 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 365
- ISO 3757:2002, Oil of patchouli [Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.], International Organization for Standardization (2002). Steam distillation of the dried leaves
- The European market potential for essential oils, CBI, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2026). 90 % of the patchouli used worldwide is supplied from Indonesia
- Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing (1995). Patchouli improves with age; too high a proportion overpowers the other oils
- Catherine Failor, Making Transparent Soap, Storey Publishing (2000). Patchouli among the low notes that act as fixatives
- David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making, Creative Publishing International (2018). Patchouli or cedarwood as earthy base notes to anchor blends
- Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition, Adams Media (2013). Patchouli will colour soap lightly tan
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Patchouli at 1.4 to 2.4 % of the oils
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Patchouli at 1.4 to 2.9 % of the oils
- Sufriadi and colleagues, Partial least squares-discriminant analysis classification for patchouli oil adulteration detection by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ACS Omega 8, American Chemical Society (2023). Gurjun balsam the most frequently used adulterant of patchouli oil