How to work out usage rates for fragrance & essential oils in soap in the UK: IFRA & assessor rules

Today I am going to be discussing the use of essential oils and fragrance oils in soap making within the UK (much of this information will also be compatible with EU regulations, but if in doubt, do check with your assessor!)
The content within this video is all based on our own knowledge and understanding of what is required when scenting soap that you intend to then sell within the UK. Please do your own research as well. It is never a good idea to rely on just one source of information! I may have missed something out or even interpreted something incorrectly, so please, take this as a guide but read up on everything and research for yourself as well!
Today we begin by discussing what regulations you are governed by when selecting how much essential or fragrance oil you choose to use within your soap. We discuss both assessor regulations and also the IFRA guidelines. We also touch on safe usage limits for essential oils and why it is important not to exceed these limits.
We will discuss where to find IFRA documents for fragrance oils and we will also show an example of an IFRA document and show you what information needs to present on it for it to be accepted for use by a UK based assessor and we will also show you where on the document to find the safe usage rates for soaps and bath products.
We have tried to cover everything that we think it is useful to know when you are just starting out with a handmade soap and bath / body business but if there is anything else you would like to know, do pop a comment down below!
Next week we will be staying on a similar topic and discussing allergens in fragrance and essential oils and how to create and use an allergen calculator.
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[@euphoria4013]

Ok this video made my day. I’m actually working with my safety assessment right now and it helps me a lot. Thank you xx

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

I am so glad to hear that Magdalena and pleased that we could help you a little with your assessments :-)

[@cathygilani4663]

Love the red hair Anne - very fun!!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you! To be honest, it is not so vibrant in real life, it seems redder because I was taking advantage of the sunshine in this video and sitting right in the sunny, bright spot on the sofa!

[@emmymoran757]

Hi Anne - thank you so much for another brilliant video. You are so clear with your information and this video has been a huge help regarding fragrances. I think a lot of soap makers are often working on their own or with a very small team so to have this kind of video and help out there is invaluable! Thank you again.

[@annalewkowicz9030]

This video has cleared so many things for me. Thank you so much :)

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you, I am glad that it has helped!

[@nirvanagoorun1137]

Hi Anne, thank you for sharing this with us. You’ve done a sterling presentation and explained it so well.... thank you 💕

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much :-)

[@diddymen1]

Very interesting, im glad your from the uk . Your videos are very helpful and enjoyable to watch.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Elaine, I am glad you find them helpful and fun :-)

[@canarieswithkaren1]

Really great video , thank you so much!

[@tassiegirl1991]

Thank you Anne. I missed this series, not sure why as i followed you for two years. This has helped me a lot even though not in the UK

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

How strange! Glad you have found it now and hope you are enjoying it :-)

[@ArreisMorsCI]

Loved this!!! Looking forward to the allergens one next week!!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you! The allergens one even has spreadsheets involved, so you don't want to miss it! :-D :-D

[@sadafshah2893]

Thank you so much for this video . It made my day.😍

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

I am very glad to hear that :-)

[@debbiestrydom6979]

Some very useful information here and just in time for me as I am about to submit my first soap formula. Thank you 😊

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

You are welcome and good luck with submitting your first formula!

[@darkkemy]

Thank you so much Anne for this presentation. It is very helpful for me as I’m starting out on my bath bomb business. New subbie here

[@moneyrai9198]

Thank you very much this video was really informative.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you, I am glad you found it helpful

[@Alexandra-Lina]

Hi Anne. I've recently discovered you and so happy I have!!! I start my day with your videos, I finish my day with your videos...I'm learning a lot and it's very helpful. My question will be: if I want to blend FO and EO, how do I calculate the max usage rates please? TIA

[@skpea4077]

Thanks well explained 😊

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you :-)

[@marcianuriah2700]

Hi Anne! Thanks for sharing all this precious information, and in such nice way! I just love your videos! I have a question: How about dermal limits for infused oils? May I replace the "normal" Olive oil from a recipe ( like 50%) with a mint, or lavander, or any other infused Oil ? Thanks!

[@stellamarisokello2140]

Beautiful hair Ann. Let now watch the video.x

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Stella and I hope you enjoy the video :-)

[@WeeStevieB]

A bit late to the party but i'm currently trying to wrap my head around IFRA and percentages, especially when it comes to diffusers. I know that it's under cat 10A for diffusers but if i go and check the IFRA from one supplier, it'll be something like 6.5% fragrance oil required , fair enough, but i checked an IFRA from another supplier and the fragrance (a very subtle smelling Baby Powder) is 0.56%! However, the same supplier has a seperate document for diffusers and it says 25%, but i'm under the impression the maximum is 25% and i could go 10% for example. I don't want to make diffusers, sell them and find out they're super weak or make diffusers with way too much fragrance oil and cause issues😖

[@harrietkrug8956]

Hi, fab video! Just wanted to check if selling homemade soap can you use homemade essential oils or herb/plant infused oils? (From my own garden). Or would I have to used an external supplier?

[@C-F506]

100% helpful thank you I have one question what supplier would you recommend using in the UK ?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi James, I have a number of suppliers that I like, but the main ones that I would recommend are The Soapery (probably my favourite for oils and butters), Mystic Moments (for essential oils) and The Crafters Shop for botanical items and clays. I also love Found In Bio for clays but I haven't ordered from them since we left the EU and they are based in Portugal, so not sure if delivery would be affected due to this or not.

[@dushanthajayaweera5896]

How about if we source the essential oil from Sri Lanka for example. They don't have such a document call EFRA. But they have absolute oil. Such as cinnamon, lemon grass oil. Please advice

[@debrastearman6938]

Hi Anne, you have some great informative videos, which have been so helpful. Just a quick question about the use of essential oils in cp soap; is it up to 3% of the total batter weight or 3% of the total oil weight? Thank you.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi Debra, It is 3% of the total weight of the oils, lye and 10% of the water. Hope this helps :-)

[@steamteamkids3961]

Great video, answered so many questions I had, but I do have 1 more quick question : Do I have to pay for separate assessments for soap and body butter or can they be on same assessment?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you :-) You would require separate assessments for soap and body butter as unfortunately they can not be included on the same assessment.

[@sjackson172]

Great video, very informative 😁 can I ask a quick question. Who do you use for your assessments? I've been looking for have mine .

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hello Sarah, We have used a couple of different companies, but personally I would recommend "Soaposh". Ann-Marie who works on their assessment team is really lovely and helpful and the assessments are back relatively quickly too (they do also offer an express service if you need them urgently).

[@sjackson172]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany thank you for your reply :)

[@joannelishman204]

I love these video's they are so helpful! I may have missed this in the video (and be overthinking this) but is it 3% of the oil weight or 3% of the total batter weight (oils, water and sodium hydroxide)?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

It is generally 3% of the weight of the oils, lye and 10% of the water

[@joannelishman204]

⁠that’s brilliant - thank you! 🙏

[@Badoura]

thank you ... when you mentioned the EO blending I was wondering can you also blend FO in the same way?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi Wendy, I am pretty sure that they can, but as we personally have never blended more than one fragrance oil together I am not 100% certain of this, so probably best to check with an assessor to be 100% sure :-)

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Just following up Wendy. I checked on this and it is fine to blend fragrance oils too, but the only thing you need to be aware of is that you cannot go above the safe usage limit for either oil as a total amount for your blend. This means that if one oil has a safe usage limit of 1.5% and another has a safe usage limit of 50% you cannot go above 1.5% as a total for both oils combined.

[@Badoura]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany that's really helpful thank you so much for getting back to me :)

[@katarzynaderkacz39]

Anne, I very grateful for this video and I've got 1 questions about 3% level of EO in soap: 3% of whole butter or 3% of just oils?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

This is a brilliant question Katarzyna, I really should have made it clear in the video so thanks for pointing it out :-) It is generally taken as 3% of the total weight of the oils, butters, lye and 10% of your water weight. So if your oils and butters together weighed 800g, you had 100g lye and 200g water it would be 3% of 920g (800g oil/butter plus 100g lye plus 20g of water). Hope this helps :-)

[@katarzynaderkacz39]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany I didn't expect the answer like this. Great to know that. Thank you Anne. Where did you find this information?

[@Badoura]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany I thought it was total oils which just means I have been even more cautious but might explain why some of my micro batches don’t smell of very much ... having said that I still had one batch go Uber ricey at 3% of total oils ... to be fair it should have been 1.5% ... a simple case of not referring to the safe usage info on the IFRA ... currently wondering if I should rebatch... lol

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

This information as provided to me by my assessor :-)

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Yes, I initially thought it was just the oils too, but our assessor informed us that it is also the lye and 10% of water weight too, which makes all the difference to us!

[@SH-pf1uu]

Very informative video about oils, In my soaps if I put recommended %age of essential or fragrance oils , they don't produce enough fragrance in my soaps, What shall I do for that, Thanks in advance

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Unfortunately some essential oils and fragrance oils do not give a huge scent in soap. In the UK we cannot exceed the maximum usage rate of 3% (or whatever IFRA states if lower than 3%) so there is not a huge amount that can be done. Some people do use clay to try and anchor teh scents, but this is more to help with the scent fading rather than not being strong enough in the first place.

[@transformers1017]

that is very very low for soap/ lotions and all,,, you can't get a strong smell from those low %, speaking of strong smell in soaps, how do you get a strong/ lasting smell in cold process soaps?