Spike lavender 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:
- Geraniol
- 0.2 %
- 2-Hexenal
- 0.01 %
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
Lavandula Latifolia Herb Oil
- Botanical name
- Lavandula latifolia
- CAS
- 84837-04-7
- EC
- 284-290-6
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
Spike lavender oil is steam-distilled from the flowering tops of Lavandula latifolia, which grows mainly in Spain (ISO 4719). It smells of lavender with a strong camphor and eucalyptus note: beside its linalool it carries a good share of 1,8-cineole and camphor.
In 1908 Simmons and Appleton, calling it aspic oil, found it extensively used for perfuming household and cheap toilet soaps, and a frequent adulterant of lavender. It behaves like lavender in the pot; use it where you want a fresher, more herbal lavender, or blend a little into true lavender. Our books give no rate for it; lavender runs from 1.2 to 4 % of the oils in Cable's and Faiola's recipes, and the IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
Its linalool oxidises in air into skin sensitisers (SCCS), so keep it cool, full and closed.
Recipes that use it
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: LAVANDULA LATIFOLIA HERB OIL, European Commission
- ISO 4719:2012, Essential oil of spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia Medikus), Spanish type, International Organization for Standardization (2012). Steam distillation of the flowering tops, growing mainly in Spain; linalool 34 to 50 %, 1,8-cineole 16 to 39 %, camphor 8 to 16 %
- W. H. Simmons and H. A. Appleton, The Handbook of Soap Manufacture, Scott, Greenwood & Son (1908). Aspic oil extensively employed in perfuming household and cheap toilet soaps, and frequently an adulterant in lavender oil
- Kelly Cable, The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners, Althea Press (2017). Lavender at 1.2 to 3.1 % of the oils
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Lavender at 1.5 to 4.1 % of the oils
- Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (SCCS/1459/11), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission (2012). Linalool autoxidises on air exposure to potent sensitisers