PerfuMate › IFRA limits › Clary sage and sage oil
How much Clary sage and sage oil can you put in a perfume?
4.51%
of the finished perfume, at most
By its typical composition, Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian can make up at most 4.51% of a finished perfume: its Thujone content meets that IFRA limit first. At 18% that is at most 25% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clary Sage Absolute | no limit reached | ||
| Clary sage Essential Oil | no limit reached | ||
| Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian | Thujone 31% | 4.51% | 25% |
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 |
|---|---|
| Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian | 38 g |
| Ethylene Brassylate no IFRA limit | 62 g |
Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian brings 2.12% Thujone to the finished perfume, against a limit of 1.4%: 1.51 times the limit. To bring it inside on its own, the calculator cuts Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian from 38 g to 20.766 g. Or keep the formula and bottle it weaker: the highest strength inside every limit is 11.88%.
Or paste these lines into the calculator:
Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian 38 g Ethylene Brassylate 62 g
Questions
Why is Clary sage and sage oil limited if it is natural?
Because IFRA limits molecules, and a natural is a mixture of them. Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian typically carries 31% Thujone, which has its own Category 4 limit of 1.4%.
How much Clary sage and sage oil can I use in an eau de parfum?
At 18%, Sage Essential Oil Dalmatian may be at most 25% of the concentrate, if nothing else in the formula carries Thujone. Every other source of Thujone 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.