PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Basil oil
How much Basil oil can you put in a perfume?
0.11%
of the finished perfume, at most
By its typical composition, Holy Basil Essential Oil can make up at most 0.11% of a finished perfume: its Methyl eugenol content meets that IFRA limit first. At 18% that is at most 0.611% of your concentrate.
Grades differ, and the table below has each one.
Grade by grade
Each grade in PerfuMate's catalog, read through its typical composition by the calculator's engine:
| Material | Held by | At most, of the perfume | At 18%, of the concentrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basil Essential Oil | Estragole 12% | 0.116% | 0.648% |
| Basil Essential Oil Sweet | Estragole 12% | 0.116% | 0.648% |
| Holy Basil Essential Oil | Methyl eugenol 10% | 0.11% | 0.611% |
Shares are the catalog's typical values. A real batch varies with origin and season, and your supplier's analysis (GC-MS or certificate of analysis) is the real figure.
A worked example
A 100 g concentrate, bottled as an eau de parfum at 18%:
| Material | Weighed |
|---|---|
| Holy Basil Essential Oil | 0.92 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 99.08 g |
Holy Basil Essential Oil brings 0.0166% Methyl eugenol to the finished perfume, against a limit of 0.011%: 1.51 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts Holy Basil Essential Oil from 0.92 g to 0.608 g. Or keep the formula and bottle it weaker: the highest strength inside every limit is 11.95%.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Holy Basil Essential Oil 0.92 g Ethylene Brassylate 99.08 g
Questions
Why is Basil oil limited if it is natural?
Because IFRA limits molecules, and a natural is a mixture of them. Holy Basil Essential Oil typically carries 10% Methyl eugenol, which has its own Category 4 limit of 0.011%.
How much Basil oil can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, Holy Basil Essential Oil may be at most 0.611% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Methyl eugenol. Every other source of Methyl eugenol counts toward the same total.
Does this limit apply to candles or soap?
No. This is Category 4, fine fragrance on skin. Other products sit in other IFRA categories with other limits, which these pages and the calculator do not cover.