Recommendations for sourcing food grade essential oils?

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Kaz

House Bee
***
BeeKeeping Supporter
Joined
Jun 7, 2018
Messages
197
Reaction score
220
Location
Devon
Hive Type
Commercial
Number of Hives
12
I'm just exploring options for making lip balm to sell locally, and I'm struggling to find a source of food grade essential oils in "nice" flavours. The edible options seem to be pretty limited, does anyone have a source they can recommend please? I would like some fruity flavours as well as peppermint (which I can find) and vanilla (which I can't). Thanks in advance
 
I'm just exploring options for making lip balm to sell locally, and I'm struggling to find a source of food grade essential oils in "nice" flavours. The edible options seem to be pretty limited, does anyone have a source they can recommend please? I would like some fruity flavours as well as peppermint (which I can find) and vanilla (which I can't). Thanks in advance
you could try a company called Aromantic, they sell for cosmetic use so would imagine they would have the right thing, their oils are really superior to some others. There are some legal requirements or hoops you need to jump through if you plan on selling them (or even giving them away) though but they also have all that info on their site.

Aromantic
 
Last edited:
Essential oils may not be what you want, just flavourings? Vanilla is extract of the bean pod and not an oil. Many E.oils are not OK internally, though a few are in very very dilute use, great care should be taken with their correct dilution (via a carrier oil) and use.
Agree on the legal aspects, though these have been covered in issues of the Beek magazines which had a few pieces on making cosmetics from hive products if you get access to them...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kaz
The Soap Kitchen and Sensory Perfection both produce food safe flavours and provide IFRA and other documents for their products.

Avoid US suppliers since the FDA regulations are far weaker than EU/UK and products may not pass CPSR. They often don't have the supporting documents you will require.

We tried twenty+ flavours; many tasted revolting, so be prepared for some experimentation.

Bear in mind that aqueous flavours will be immiscible with wax/oil based balms.

Sara Robb is a good place to start with the underlying principles.

Soap Kitchen

Sensory Perfection

Sara Robb

IFRA
 
The Soap Kitchen and Sensory Perfection both produce food safe flavours and provide IFRA and other documents for their products.

Avoid US suppliers since the FDA regulations are far weaker than EU/UK and products may not pass CPSR. They often don't have the supporting documents you will require.

We tried twenty+ flavours; many tasted revolting, so be prepared for some experimentation.

Bear in mind that aqueous flavours will be immiscible with wax/oil based balms.

Sara Robb is a good place to start with the underlying principles.

Soap Kitchen

Sensory Perfection

Sara Robb

IFRA
That’s really useful info
 
Beewitch is our appointed responsible person, and Katy's diligence (retired scientist) enabled us to jump the hoops: the file is about half an inch thick.

You'll find that most customers aren't aware of the need for product approval and the risks involved.
 
Yes, there are many reputable sources of food-grade essential oils that you can use to make lip balm. Here are a few options that you may consider:
  1. Plant Therapy: Plant Therapy is a well-known essential oil brand that offers a variety of food-grade essential oils, including fruity flavors such as strawberry, blueberry, and cherry.
  2. Eden's Garden: Eden's Garden is another popular brand that offers a range of food-grade essential oils, including vanilla, lemon, and orange.
  3. Simply Earth: Simply Earth offers a selection of pure, food-grade essential oils, including fruity and minty flavors such as watermelon, grapefruit, and peppermint.
  4. Mountain Rose Herbs: Mountain Rose Herbs is a trusted source of high-quality, organic essential oils, including food-grade oils like vanilla and peppermint, as well as fruit-scented oils like peach, raspberry, and cranberry.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kaz

Latest posts

Back
Top