How Much Allspice EO in CP?!

[SarahRockel]

I have been trying (without success) to find out the safe usage amount for Allspice essential oil in cold process.
Either oz. per pound of oils or percentage of total oils would be best for me to understand.
I know it's strong and too much can burn skin, but I want to use it as a small part of a fall blend and it would be great to know what other soap makers are doing!
Thanks so much for any help you can offer!
Sarah

 

[DeeAnna]

I wouldn't use it at all if what you have is Allspice EO aka Pimento berry EO aka Pimenta dioica or Pimenta officinalis.

In Essential Oil Safety by Tisserand and Young, they recommend no more than 0.15% for skin use, which tells me it's an EO to be used with caution. According to E.O.S., Allspice EO may inhibit blood clotting, cause skin sensitization, irritate mucous membranes (including sensitive lady bits), and may potentially be carcinogenic.

 

[SarahRockel]

Yes, I know it's one to use very sparingly if at all but carcinogenic?! Yikes. Maybe I'll just avoid it and substitute with another spice. All the spices seem to be very irritating to skin, which makes it difficult to scent a spicy Fall soap!

 

[earlene]

A spicy fragrance oil, might be a safer route, if you are not averse to using FO's.

 

[Susie]

I have a mixture of cinnamon bark EO, clove bud EO, nutmeg EO, ginger EO, and allspice EO that smells like Christmas baking. I just use each at about 0.1-0.2% each. They are quite strong. A little goes a long way. I have a batch I made over 2 years ago that we are using a bar right now, and it smells as good as the day I made it.

 

[SarahRockel]

I just use EO, no fragrance oils, that's what makes it so difficult sometimes! LOL!!
Thanks Susie, maybe I'll try your blend and test it out to be sure there's no issues. Thanks!

 

[Catscankim]

I Dream In Soap has a newer video on her Christmas Pudding soap. I just watched it the other day, and she gives a little information on the more irritating EOs. Shes in the UK, and their usage rates are regulated (quite moreso than the US from what I understand).

With that said, I have enjoyed EOs for many years and have done a lot of reading on them. I wouldnt dream of putting cinnamon oil on my skin, but you can apply clove oil on a sore tooth/gums to numb it. Its actually what the dentists use to disinfect a tooth before filling it, or use to anyway.

I honestly know nothing about allspice. But @DeeAnna gave you good info for that.

I would love to use more essential oils in my soaps, but i tend to stick to the safer oils that can be used neat like lavender and tea tree. Spicier oils are a little more iffy, especially if you are giving the soaps to other ppl to use. There is so much to know about essential oils that you should really study them before adding them to your soap.

People love Bergamot. Due to citrus oils (particularly bergamot) being photosensitizing for your skin, i wouldnt use it in soap.

Chamomile can cause an allergic reaction in ppl allergic to ragweed...pine tar can cause a reaction in ppl allergic to xmas trees lol (inside joke).

I have yet to use an EO calc, cause i am not sure about the real safe usages in soap...so i mostly dont use them. My best guess would be to dilute with your batch oils accordingly in essential oils that are skin safe. Most spicy oils are not, at least without proper knowledge first.

 

[SarahRockel]

I know quite a bit about essential oils as used in aromatherapy, but am newish to making soap with them (I'm also terrible at math, which does not help! LOL!). As soap is a wash off product, I think the usage rates of EO for CP soap are higher than when applying them topically, but maybe it isn't worth the risk of using them at all. Are essential oils less or MORE harmful than synthetics, makes me wonder...

 

[Catscankim]

I know quite a bit about essential oils as used in aromatherapy, but am newish to making soap with them (I'm also terrible at math, which does not help! LOL!). As soap is a wash off product, I think the usage rates of EO for CP soap are higher than when applying them topically, but maybe it isn't worth the risk of using them at all. Are essential oils less or MORE harmful than synthetics, makes me wonder...

I agree with the synthetic oil conundrum. But using an eo that is known to be harmful topically is risky imo. I wouldnt knock you for it by any means. Just know the responsibilities

 

[SoapMedic]

Don't forget, soap is a wash-off product so it's not on skin very long. The allowed percentages for soap are a bit higher than for leave-on products like lotion or balm. I am a big fan of this (free) EO calculator Enter Your Own Blend You can enter possible percentages and type of product category and get usage rates, plus warnings if the percentages you are planning exceed IFRA standards for the product you are making.
You can enter the specific oz of oils you are using and it will tell you a range of what to use for light to stronger scent. You can also browse for blends using specific EOs. Allspice is not on the list but other spicy or irritant-type Eos are.
I did make a Lavender-Allspice blend 3 years back and I used an extremely small amount of Allspice (sorry notes not available right now). The blend was lovely for about 3 weeks in my soap as it cured, then went completely Allspice (still a pleasant scent, just not what I was hoping for.). I still have a bar in storage and the allspice is sticking like crazy.

 

[earlene]

SarahRockel, just make sure you look up the safe usage rate for each particular EO in category 9 products. Soap is a category 9 product. AND I suggest you personally test each and every soap batch yourself for an extended period of time before you ever give them to friends or family (or strangers). AND make your test batches small enough in size that if you find a particular EO too strong or sensitizing to your own skin, you don't have a lot of soap to toss out.

This may help get you started on safe usage rates for essential oils:

https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/essential-oil-usage-rates-ifra-guidelines/
Product Categories Explained

IFRA Standards & Categories & Sub-categories & other IFRA information document

IFRA current Code & Practice changes Explained by Lebermuth

A couple of years of so ago, IFRA information about specific essential oils and their components and restrictions used to be accessible online, but it appears either more difficult to find now, or is no longer accessible for the general public. However, all reputable soap suppliers who also sell Essential Oils, will provide the safe usage rate of their product. I believe that is the case for Candle making Suppliers as well. If you have an EO with the manufacturers name & contact information on the label, you can contact them (by email or online on their website) and request that information.

 

[SarahRockel]

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions and help!

 

[DeeAnna]

I want to offer a caution about the idea that it's okay to use more of an EO in soap, because soap is a wash-off product.

I don't find that assumption to be reliable when I look at IFRA guidelines. IFRA Category 9 guidelines, which includes soap, are typically as restrictive or more so than Cat 4 guidelines which includes lotions.

I rely on the IFRA guidelines and Tisserand and Young's Essential Oil Safety, because I don't (and most other people don't) have the ability to research these safety issues in enough depth to make wise decisions. I'd rather know and be safe than assume and be wrong.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I have been trying (without success) to find out the safe usage amount for Allspice essential oil in cold process.

While researching Juniper Berry and Bay Laurel EOs I remembered your post and found this:
INFO ON ALLSPICE ESSENTIAL OIL
https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/allspice-oil.asp

HTH

 

[SarahRockel]

I don't find that assumption to be reliable when I look at IFRA guidelines. IFRA Category 9 guidelines, which includes soap, are typically as restrictive or more so than Cat 4 guidelines which includes lotions.

I was going by what was said on Modern Soapmaking:

IFRA is hard to understand, since it no longer lists essential oils, it lists their components so it's much more time consuming as I have to look at my actual bottle of oil, find the different components and look them all up individually. I guess that's why most people use the eocalc, which is good, but doesn't list every oil. Takes a lot of research, I know, and while I'm committed to doing that, I doubt the formulators of a lot of the recipes I'm coming across have as they use quite a bit of irritating oils! Better safe than sorry with these things I think.

While researching Juniper Berry and Bay Laurel EOs I remembered your post and found this:
INFO ON ALLSPICE ESSENTIAL OIL
https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/allspice-oil.asp

Thank you!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Lots of great info above.