“Essential oils have become an integral part of everyday life,” recalls the EDQM in its preamble. “They are used in a variety of ways, as flavouring agents in foods, for example, or as fragrances or for their many other properties in cosmetic products. Some might believe that all natural essential oils are completely safe, possibly based on the misconception that all plants are safe because they are ‘natural’. However, the toxicity of an essential oil may be entirely different to that of the plant from which it is extracted, due to its specific physico-chemical profile and its high concentration in certain compounds.”

The purpose of this guide is to address the quality factors and risks associated with the use of essential oils in cosmetic products.
Revised under the aegis of the European Committee for Cosmetics and Consumer Health (CD-P-COS), this second edition contains up-to-date quality criteria and recommendations for the manufacture and safety assessment of cosmetic products containing natural ingredients.
It includes:
• an overview of the current regulatory context and guidance;
• quality criteria, from raw materials to production, for essential oils;
• evaluation of risk-assessment approaches to safety data and toxicological thresholds;
• practical recommendations regarding safety assessment. …