Basil Essential Oil, 500 ml

Basil essential oil is a steam-distilled essential oil from the leaves and tops of basil (Ocimum basilicum), which is added to cosmetics as a fragrance ingredient. It adds a penetrating herbal, green and fresh fragrance with a sweet herbal undertone to a composition, and can be used to enliven a natural perfume, massage oil, soap or candle.

This raw material of European origin is supplied pure, undiluted and without additives. It is used in small amounts, dissolves in oils and alcohol, and needs a solubiliser in water-based products. Specific limits for individual product types are set by the IFRA certificate; you can find the categories in the product parameters.

Fragrance and character

Basil is one of the top to heart notes of a fragrance composition. When you open the bottle, it comes through quickly and distinctly as a green, herbal freshness, and it remains present in the middle phase of the fragrance, when the more volatile top notes have already faded.

The pure essential oil is light yellow to amber yellow in colour. At normal usage rates it does not affect the shade of the product. In a white emulsion or a light soap base, a higher proportion may give a slight yellowish tint, so check it on a small sample.

Use in formulations

Basil essential oil is soluble in vegetable oils and in alcohol, and it does not dissolve in water. In anhydrous products, that is massage and body oils, solid perfumes, balms or oil serums, it is mixed into the oil phase when cold. In alcohol-based perfume compositions it is added directly and left to mature with the rest of the blend.

In emulsions it is added at the very end, into the cooled emulsion while stirring continuously, so that the fragrance components do not escape while the phases are heated. It cannot be dispersed in toners, hydrosol sprays and other water-based products without a solubiliser. Test the ratio of solubiliser to essential oil on a small amount and check that the mixture stays clear.

The usage rate is always governed by the product category according to IFRA. The list of categories with definitions is in the parameters; check the upper limits for a specific category in the IFRA certificate for the given batch. In cold process soap, fragrance oils are commonly added just before pouring into the mould. We have not tested the behaviour of this essential oil in a soap base.

Suitable for products such as

• Natural perfumes and fragrance blends – as a fresh herbal top and heart note of the composition.
• Massage and body oils – directly into the oil phase, in blends with a brisk green character.
• Soaps and shower gels – as a fragrance ingredient in rinse-off products, usage rate according to IFRA category 9.
• Candles and waxes – in compositions with a herbal or garden character, usage rate according to IFRA category 12.
• Creams and lotions – into the cooled emulsion, at a low usage rate according to the product category.

Good to know

Basil essential oil is subject to the CLP regulation and carries the pictograms GHS07 (irritant, sensitisation, moderate toxicity) and GHS08 (serious health hazards, long-term). Detailed information on composition, classification and safe handling is in the safety data sheet (SDS) for the product.

The essential oil is volatile and sensitive to heat. Each time it is heated, some of the fragrance components escape, so it is not added to the hot phase. If you are preparing a larger batch of a fragrance blend, weigh the components precisely and leave them to combine for several days; the initial sharpness of the basil softens in the blend.

For a finished product containing a fragrance ingredient, dark glass works well because it limits exposure to light. With plastic packaging, check whether the material can withstand contact with essential oils.

Frequently asked questions