Rosemary 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
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
- Botanical name
- Salvia rosmarinus
- CAS
- 84604-14-8, 8000-25-7
- EC
- 283-291-9
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
Rosemary oil is steam-distilled from the twigs and flowering tips of Salvia rosmarinus (ISO 1342). The ISO standard has two types: the Tunisian and Moroccan oil, rich in 1,8-cineole and sharply fresh, and the Spanish oil, with less cineole and more camphor. Both smell herbal and camphor-like.
It behaves well in cold process (Faiola) and adds a crisp, green complexity to blends (Fisher). Recipes use it at 0.5 to 3 % of the oils (Faiola) and 0.8 to 1.5 % (Cable), often with lemon, peppermint or lavender. IFRA's annex gives no figure for rosemary oil, so the ceiling is your supplier's certificate.
The essential oil is not the rosemary extract (ROE) that makers add to oils as an antioxidant; Faiola is clear they are different products. Cable advises against rosemary oil for young children.
Recipes that use it
- Apricot seed scrub bar
- Bastile soap
- Cornmeal and juniper scrub bar
- Hot-process clay swirl bar
- Indigo and annatto funnel pour bar
- Liquid shampoo
- Long-lasting bar
- Natural colour sampler cubes
- Nettle and rosemary bar
- Nettle shampoo bar
- Palm-free classic bar
- Rosemary and mint bar
- Seawater marine soap
- Shampoo bar for normal to oily hair
- Soap scrap confetti bar
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS LEAF OIL, European Commission
- ISO 1342:2012, Essential oil of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), International Organization for Standardization (2012). Steam distillation of the twigs and blossoming tips; Tunisian and Moroccan type rich in 1,8-cineole, Spanish type with more camphor
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Rosemary among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap; rosemary oleoresin extract is not the same as the essential oil
- David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making, Creative Publishing International (2018). Rosemary gives blends a versatile, crisp, green complexity
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Rosemary at 0.5 to 3 % of the oils
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Rosemary at 0.8 to 1.5 % of the oils; among oils to avoid for children aged 5 and under