Star anise oil
Under the IFRA Standards a rinse-off soap may hold up to 0.12 % of this oil, a limit set by its Estragole.
IFRA maximum for soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- Estragole
- 3.3 %
- p-Methoxybenzaldehyde
- 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
Illicium Verum Fruit Oil
- Botanical name
- Illicium verum
- CAS
- 84650-59-9
- EC
- 283-518-1
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
Star anise oil is steam-distilled from the dried star-shaped fruit of Illicium verum, and China is the only large exporter (He and colleagues). Nearly all of it is trans-anethole, and it smells of sweet liquorice. It sets solid in a cool room, around 14 to 17 °C (Simmons and Appleton), so warm the bottle gently before weighing.
Faiola lists anise among the oils that behave well in cold process and uses it at 2.6 % of the oils with litsea, though her books do not say which anise; Fisher finds anise acts as a top or middle note depending on its partners. Those rates are many times the IFRA figure on this page, which is among the lowest here because the oil carries estragole (EFSA). That figure is the ceiling, and it leaves star anise a trace accent.
It is the cheapest natural source of anethole, and some oils sold as star anise are synthetic anethole (Murphy and colleagues).
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: ILLICIUM VERUM FRUIT OIL, European Commission
- EFSA FEEDAP Panel, Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of an essential oil derived from the fruit of Illicium verum Hook.f. (star anise oil) for all animal species, EFSA Journal (2023). Steam distillation of the dried fruit; estragole about 3.4 % in the batches tested
- He and colleagues, Based on CiteSpace insights into Illicium verum Hook. f. current hotspots and emerging trends and China resources distribution, Foods 13, MDPI (2024). China the sole large-scale exporter of star anise
- W. H. Simmons and H. A. Appleton, The Handbook of Soap Manufacture, Scott, Greenwood & Son (1908). Star anise oil: mostly anethole; solidifying point 14 to 17 °C
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Anise among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Anise with litsea at 2.6 % of the oils
- David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making, Creative Publishing International (2018). Anise acts as a top note with cinnamon and lavender, a middle note with lemon or lime
- Murphy and colleagues, Authentication of fennel, star anise, and anise essential oils by gas chromatography (GC/MS) and stable isotope ratio (GC/IRMS) analyses, Plants 13, MDPI (2024). Star anise the cheapest natural source of anethole; commercial oils adulterated with synthetic anethole