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Detailed information on using essential oils for soap making. Includes information on what essential oils are, the allergens they may contain, maximum usage rates, and how much essential oil to add to soap recipes.
If you want to scent handmade soap naturally, you will likely use essential oils. These highly scented flower and plant essences come in a range of scents. Lavender, peppermint, rose geranium, and black pepper, to name a few. Although they are both natural and plant-based, using essential oils for soap making is a topic that requires both care and precision. That’s because they are highly concentrated plant chemicals that may cause skin irritation if you use too much. If you use too little, the scent may not come through, and you’ll have wasted time and money. How much essential oil to use in soap is a balancing act and art that I hope to clarify for you in this piece.
I’ve listed some of the more common essential oils below and how much can be used in a small batch of soap. Feel free to scale the amounts up for larger batches but note that I don’t recommend that the essential oil that you use is more than 3% of your entire soap recipe (excluding the water amount). The information includes the maximum percentage in a recipe, the maximum amount in ounces and grams, and how many teaspoons can be used in a one-pound batch of soap.
What are Essential Oils
When you think of essential oils, what do you imagine? Completely natural plant-based essences or concentrated and volatile organic chemicals? They’re both, so it’s important to understand what essential oils are before experimenting with them in soap recipes.
Some, but not all, plants have volatile oils that we can extract as essential oils. Depending on the plant, the process of extraction can happen in a number of ways, including steam distillation, mechanical pressing, or solvent extraction. The liquid that results is the highly concentrated extract of that plant’s volatile oils, which does include scent. To make essential oil, you need a lot of plant material, and even one of the least expensive types, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil, requires three pounds of lavender flowers to make a small 0.5 fl oz (15 ml) bottle.
How does it work? Everything that we can smell is created by an aroma compound, and they can be naturally occurring or synthetic. Naturally occurring aromas are extracted into essential oil. Many synthetic fragrances are created by isolating the exact compound(s) that create a scent, such as roses, and then copying the combination with synthetically-created compounds. That’s why rose fragrance oil is cheaper than rose absolute, a rose-scented essential oil. To make just 0.5 fl oz (15 ml) of rose absolute, you’ll need 24,000 roses.
Natural Soap Making for Beginners Series
If you’re new to making your own soap, read this free four-part series. It includes all the basic information for natural soap making and even a few easy essential oil soap recipes.
- Natural Soap Ingredients
- Easy Soap Recipes
- How to Make Cold Process Soap
Essential Oils Add Scent to Natural Soap
The main reason we use essential oil in soap is its beautiful fragrance. It’s plant-based and vegan-friendly, and we can even choose essential oils created from organically-grown herbs and flowers. My favorite essential oil is rose geranium, which has a rosy scent but isn’t as expensive as a true rose essential oil. I don’t grow enough of each type of plant to create my own essential oils. Still, I grow rose geranium, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and more as botanical soap decorations.
Though we use essential oil to scent and add therapeutic properties to skin care, they can range in type and safety. Although they are natural, using too much essential oil in soap and skincare causes harm. That’s why we practice care by using essential oils in soap recipes and do not exceed their recommended usage rates. Some essential oils are dangerous to use in soap and should not make their way into your recipes.
Essential Oil Contains Allergens
What many people don’t realize is that fragrances, including essential oils, contain allergens that many people can have adverse reactions to. Reactions vary and can be mild or extremely severe. They include sneezing, hives, rashes, blistering, and swelling of the eyes and face. The allergens that essential oils contain are listed on each essential oil’s MSDS sheet and include coumarin, geraniol, and linalool (see full list). There used to be just 26 allergens to be aware of, but there are now 82, including individual chemicals and pure plant extracts. Please note that the individual chemicals are naturally present in essential oil — they aren’t added ingredients.
Safe Essential Oil Usage Rates in Soap
For the home crafter and soapmaker, it’s a little complicated to answer the question of how much essential oil to add to soap recipes. The average person may find it difficult to work through all of the documents and calculations involved, and that’s why I’ve given usage rates a little further below. It’s a simpler answer if you make essential oil soap commercially, though.
To make soap commercially, you must adhere to the usage rates for fragrances and essential oils set by either your region’s governmental bodies and/or IFRA usage rates. IFRA stands for International Fragrance Association, and they are a global regulatory body that works to ensure that the amount of fragrance used in products is safe.
Each type of essential oil may have a different rate (based on its allergen content), which may even change between brands. For example, the brand of lavender essential oil that I use in soap has a 4% usage rate in soap. Other brands have slightly higher or lower percentages. For commercial soap recipes, you must not exceed the usage rate of the exact brand and type of essential oil you’re using.
Generalized Usage Rates for Essential Oils
The chart I’ve shared below includes the most common essential oils we use in soapmaking and their usage rate in weight. If you have essential oil that doesn’t appear on the list, it may be because it’s one that we don’t use in soap. Probably because the safe usage rate is so low that it doesn’t make sense to use it. Other essential oils, such as pennyroyal, aren’t used because they’re unsafe for people, and in the case of pennyroyal, it’s especially unsafe for pregnant women. Most essential oils are toxic if ingested, so please ignore any advice for adding them to food! There’s a lot of unsafe advice out there shared by well-meaning people.
The usage rates I share below are safe amounts to use, no matter the brand. There may be cases where you look into the brand you’re using and find out that it’s possible to use more than I recommend. That’s great news if you’d like to have a stronger scent! However, you won’t find that you will need to use less than these amounts. These are safe general usage rates that I’ve based on my own cosmetic safety assessment for commercial soapmaking in the UK and EU. I’ve added a few others manually, but the vast majority are considered safe based on the recommendation of an EU-certified chemist.
How Much Essential Oil To Add to Soap
For large batches of soap, it’s better to weigh essential oil down to the gram/ounce. However, this can be difficult for small batches since most kitchen scales aren’t accurate for very small amounts and probably won’t give you decimal amounts. That’s why it’s more common to use volume measurements, namely teaspoons, for measuring essential oil in small-size soap recipes.
Because of this, I spent quite a lot of time calculating teaspoon amounts for the essential oils in the chart for your convenience. They are based on first calculating the maximum weight of a type of essential oil that can be added to one-pound soap batches. Then using the specific gravity (density) of essential oil, I’ve calculated how much you can use in US teaspoons. Most people like to use teaspoons to measure essential oils, but I’ve also listed weight.
Calculating Essential Oil for Soap Recipes
Here’s how to calculate essential oils’ volume measurement from their weight. For example, in a 1lb (454g) batch of soap, you can use a maximum of 3% lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia floweroil). The specific gravity of this oil is 0.905g/ml.
- 3% of 454 g is 13.62 g — this is the total amount of lavender essential oil by weight that you can use in the recipe
- 0.905g/ml describes how much lavender oil weighs by volume. Dividing the weight of an essential oil by its specific gravity will give you the amount the essential oil is in milliliters. In this case, we divide 13.62 by 0.905 to work out how many ml of lavender oil you can use in the recipe. In this case, 15.05 ml.
- One US teaspoon is equal to 4.93 ml. That makes our 15.05 ml about 3 US tsp (3.05 tsp, to be exact). UK teaspoons are slightly different in volume. One UK teaspoon is equal to 5.92 ml. That makes our 15.05 ml 2.5 teaspoons in the United Kingdom (2.54 tsp, to be exact).
Essential Oils for Soap Making
The EU considers an essential oil usage rate of 3% or less safe in wash-off products like soap. For clarification, that’s 3% of the total amount of soaping oils in a soap recipe by weight.3% of a one-pound batch of soap is a total of 0.48 ounces or 13.6g.
This chart includes many of the most commonly used essential oils for soap making, but there are others too. Before using any essential oil, please research how much can be safely used in soap. Please also ensure that the fragrance that you’re using is indeed essential oil. Unscrupulous sellers often package synthetic fragrance oil (sometimes not even skin-safe) in the same types of bottles as essential oils. Always look for the Latin name of the plant or flower on the bottle and also see if there’s information on if it’s been diluted in a carrier oil.
Essential Oils for Soap Making
You’ll find a few pieces of information in this chart of essential oils for soap making. The essential oil is listed by its Latin/botanical name, its maximum usage rate, information on the scent, and other types of essential oil that it blends well with.
The amounts are in US teaspoons and rounded to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon. You’ll also notice that the teaspoon amounts will differ between essential oils even if the oz/grams are the same. That’s because some of the oils weigh more than others. Visualization: a cup of feathers weighs less than a cup of lead. Some essential oils are heavier and thicker than others that are thin and light. The chart below includes amounts listed in percentage, weight, and maximum teaspoons per pound of oil.
- Percentage Amount is the total percentage that this essential oil can be added to any soap recipe by weight.
- Weight Amount is the total amount that essential oil can be added to a 1-lb (454 g) soap recipe in grams or ounces.
- Max tsp PPO*is the maximum amount in US teaspoons that this essential oil can be added to a 1-lb (454 g) recipe.
Essential Oil Usage Rates for Soap Recipes
| Essential oil | Max usage rate in %, weight, and tsp PPO* | Information | Blends with |
| AmyrisAmyris balsamifera | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 2.75 tsp | West Indian Rosewood has a soft resinous aroma similar to Benzoin. It’s used as an alternative to Sandalwood and is useful in helping to ‘fix’ soap scents. Base note. | Cedarwood, Geranium, Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood |
| BergamotCitrus bergamia | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A clean and refreshing citrus scent that’s used not only in soap making but also in Earl Grey Tea. One of the few top-note essential oils that can be used on its own in soap making. Top note. | Citronella, Eucalyptus, Geranium, Neroli, Palmarosa, Ylang Ylang |
| Black Pepper Piper nigrum | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A warm and peppery scent that should be used sparingly. Permitted usage rates are higher than most people will enjoy as a soap scent. Start with just a few drops and blend with another essential oil(s). Middle to top note. | Basil, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Lavender, Peppermint |
| CardamomElettaria cardamomum | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A sweet and spicy essential oil that works best as a blend. Works well with most other oils but especially citrus, spice, and woodsy scents. Middle note. | Bergamot, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Orange, Ylang Ylang |
| CedarwoodCedrus atlantica | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A warm and woodsy aroma that blends well with floral, spice, and wood oils. Base note. | Bergamot, Frankincense, Juniper, Lavender, Rose, Rosemary |
| Chamomile (Roman)Anthemis nobilisand Chamomile (German/Blue)Matricaria Recutita | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Roman chamomile is sweet and floral and blends well with other floral and citrus oils. You might come across German Chamomile oil, too — it’s more expensive and used mainly in leave-on skincare products. Middle note. | |
| Clary SageSalvia sclarea | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A deeply earthy and slightly floral scent that does better in blends than on its own. Middle to top note. | Cedarwood, Geranium, Lavender, Lime, Sandalwood, Vetiver |
| EucalyptusEucalyptus globulus | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Sharp and powerful resinous scent associated with medicinal products. Does well in blends, especially with citrusy oil. Top note. | Citronella, Juniper, Lavender, Lemongrass, May Chang, Pine |
| GeraniumPelargonium graveolens | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Floral, earthy, and deep, Rose Geranium is one of the most beloved essential oils. It’s often used to replace Rose Absolute as it’s less expensive. Use on its own or blended. Middle note. | Bergamot, Clary Sage, Grapefruit, Lavender, Sandalwood |
| GingerZingiber officinalis | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Spicy and warming but may smell completely different from fresh ginger. Use in blends with other deep-scented oils. Top note. | Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Geranium, Rosemary, Vetiver |
| GrapefruitCitrus grandis | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A fresh and sweet citrus aroma that blends well with floral and citrus essential oils. Top note. | Bergamot, Chamomile, Geranium, Lavender, May Chang, Rose |
| JuniperJuniperus communis | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A crisp, sweet, and woodsy aroma that blends well with citrus oils. Middle note. | Bergamot, Geranium, Lemongrass, Orange, Sandalwood |
| LavenderLavandula augustifolia | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Long used in the perfume industry, lavender oil is sweet and floral and blends well with many other essential oils. Middle note. | Basil, Clary Sage, Geranium, Lemon, Patchouli, Rosemary |
| LemongrassCymbopogon schoenanthus | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A lush and green citrus scent that does well on its own in soap and when blended. Can cause soap to trace quickly. Top note. | Basil, Black Pepper, Clary Sage, Lavender, Patchouli, Thyme |
| LemonCitrus limonum | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3.25 tsp | The scent of ordinary lemon essential oil does not last well in soap. Try looking for 10x (10-fold) lemon essential oil for a long-lasting scent. Top note. | Chamomile, Orange, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Lavender, May Chang |
| LimeCitrus aurantifolia(distilled only) | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3.25 tsp | Lime essential oil can be irritating so only use distilled oil when making soap. Like other citrus oils, the scent may not be strong after the first couple of weeks. Top note. | Basil, Geranium, May Chang, Palmarosa, Ylang Ylang |
| May ChangLitsea cubeba | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | A sweetly citrusy essential oil that smells like lemon sherbert candy. Middle to top note. | Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Grapefruit, Palmarosa |
| NeroliCitrus aurantium | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Neroli is the floral honey scent produced by the bitter orange tree. Depending on what it’s blended with, it can make up any of the notes in a fragrance. Top, middle, and base notes. | Geranium, Lavender, Lime, Palmarosa, Rose, Ylang Ylang |
| Orange Citrus aurantium dulcis | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3.25 tsp | Sweet orange essential oil does not leave a lasting fragrance in soap. Instead, use 5x (5-fold) or 10x (10-fold) orange essential oil. Top note. | Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lemon, May Chang, Peppermint, Rosemary |
| PalmarosaCymbopogon martini | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Palmarosa is also called Gingergrass, and its scent is like a musky grassy rose. Top note. | Bergamot, Geranium, Lavender, May Chang, Rose, Sandalwood |
| PatchouliPogostemon cablin | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 2.75 tsp | Though it can be used on its own, Patchouli has a broader appeal when it’s blended with other oils. It’s earthy and dark and very powerful. Base note. | Clary Sage, Geranium, Lavender, Lemongrass, Neroli |
| PeppermintMentha piperita | 2% 0.32 oz / 9g / 2 tsp | Sharp and filled with herbal menthol, Peppermint can be used on its own or blended with other herbal essential oils. Middle to top note. | |
| PetitgrainCitrus aurantium | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Like Neroli and Bergamot, Petitgrain comes from the Bitter Orange tree. It’s extracted from the bark and has a woodsy, floral, and slightly bitter scent. Best expressed in a blend. Middle to top note. | Cedarwood, Geranium, Lavender, Orange, Palmarosa, Ylang Ylang |
| Rose AbsoluteRosa damascena | 0.1% 0.016 oz / 0.45g / 1/8 tsp | Rose Absolute is overwhelmingly scented of roses. Mainly sold in dilutions (with a carrier oil), its usage in soaps is restricted due to its Methyl eugenol content. Middle to base note. | Clary Sage, Geranium, Lavender, Neroli, Patchouli, Sandalwood |
| RosemaryRosmarinus officinalis | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Sharp and herbal rosemary blends well with other herbal scents as well as citrus. | Citronella, Geranium, Ginger, Grapefruit, Lime, Tea Tree |
| RosewoodAniba rosaeodora | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Spicy, woodsy, and floral, Rosewood is used in blends with other wood and floral scents. Middle to top note. | Cedarwood, Frankincense, Geranium, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood |
| SandalwoodSantalum album | 3% 0.48 oz / 13.6g / 2.75 tsp | Soft, warm, and woodsy, Sandalwood is a gorgeous base for many citrus and floral oils. Base note. | Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Lemon, Palmarosa, Rose, Ylang Ylang |
| Scots PinePinus sylvestris | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Sharp and herbal, pine blends with other herbal, woodsy, and citrus oils. Middle to top note. Scent can be short-lasting in soap recipes. | Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree |
| SpearmintMentha viridis | 0.25% 0.04oz / 1g / 1/4 tsp | Sweet and fresh mint scent without as much natural menthol as Peppermint. Use in blends with other herbal oils. Top note. Low usage rate due to carvone content. | Basil, Rosemary, Peppermint, Tea Tree, Vetiver |
| Sweet MarjoramOriganum marjorana | 3% 0.48oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Scent similar to basil and oregano and can be blended with other herbal, citrus, and floral oils. Middle note. | Bergamot, Chamomile, Rosemary, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang |
| Tea TreeMelaleuca alternifolia | 1% 0.16 oz / 4.5g / 1 tsp | Sweet, sharp, camphorous, and medicinal scent. A little goes a long way. Top note. | Citronella, Lavender, Lemon, May Chang, Rosemary |
| VetiverVetiveria zizanoides | 3% 0.48 oz / 13.6g / 2.75 tsp | Green and earthy and related to lemongrass. Blend with floral oils and other deep scents. Base note. | Clary Sage, Ginger, Lavender, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang |
| Ylang Ylang (Extra I, II, and III)Cananga odorata | 3% 0.48 oz / 13.6g / 3 tsp | Called the ‘Flower of Flowers’, this oil is sweet and tropically floral. Use in blends with citrus, floral, and woodsy oils. Base note. | Grapefruit, Lavender, Rose, Patchouli, Sandalwood |
Creating an Essential Oil Blend
The last column of the chart above gives essential oil blend recommendations. Creating blends can be a complex (yet fun!) business, but the main idea is:
- 30% of a blend should be Top Notes
- 60% of a blend should be Middle Notes
- 10% of a blend should be Base Notes
Please also remember that the total amount of essential oils in ounces or grams should not exceed 3% of the soap recipe. Some essential oils should not exceed 1% or 2% of the recipe, so please be careful.
How toAdd Essential Oils to Soap Recipes
Adding essential oil to soap usually happens after the soap emulsifies and/or thickens to a light to medium ‘trace.’ This happens after you add the lye solution to your soaping oils and you begin mixing. Despite what you have heard from other sources, you can also add essential oil before adding the lye solution. It’s helpful for single-color soap recipes with essential oils that accelerate trace, such as lemongrass or rose geranium essential oil. It helps to control how quickly the soap batter thickens up.
If you’re interested in making essential oil soap, I have many recipes that you can use. Browse through all soap recipes or these that I recommend:
- Simple Lavender Soap Recipe
- Pumpkin Spice Soap Recipe (with pumpkin puree)
- Cinnamon Soap Recipe (with cinnamon essential oil)
- Herbal Eucalyptus Soap Recipe
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