Is Lilac Blossom Oil a fragrance oil or an essential oil?

Neither, by our pages. They describe a composition of botanical extracts and infused aromatics, built to be faithful to the common lilac in bloom, and say it is not a distillate and not an absolute. There is no true lilac essential oil in our range. We do not publish the formula or name the extracts. For the comparison with ordinary fragrance oils, see the fragrance oil comparison . For labeling, US cosmetic rules let a maker list a fragrance as "fragrance," but no ingredient may be designated that way unless it is within the meaning consumers commonly understand ( 21 CFR 701.3(a) ).

Which documents should I ask for before I order?

Ask for three, in writing: a safety data sheet, a flash point, and an IFRA statement for your product type. We publish none of them. What we publish is a certificate of analysis for one batch that lists appearance, smell, relative density (0.973), refractive index (1.501) and optical rotation (-0.72 degrees), with no ingredient list. US workplace rules require a chemical manufacturer or importer to give distributors and employers a safety data sheet with the first shipment and on request, and the required sections start with identification, hazards and composition ( 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) ). Whether a given cosmetic or craft oil falls under that rule is a regulatory judgment we cannot make for you, and we cannot promise a specific document. IFRA says a Certificate of Conformity is issued by the fragrance mixture's maker for a specific mixture, to a concentration in a specified product, up to a named amendment, and that it "does not replace a safety assessment" ( IFRA, 51st Amendment guidance, 2023 ). Our COA and SDS reading guide shows what each document should contain.

Which IFRA category does my product fall in?

IFRA's 51st Amendment guidance sorts products by how much fragrance reaches skin. These are the placements it lists for the products makers ask about: . Product: IFRA category: . Bar soap: 9 (rinse-off): . Body creams, oils and lotions: 5A: . Air freshener sprays, manual: 10B: . Pillow spray: 11B: . Candles of all types: 12: For candles, IFRA reasons that skin exposure is negligible, so a fragrance ingredient is not restricted in the finished product. The category does not make a product safe by itself, and it says nothing about what is in our oil, because that is unpublished. A product that serves two purposes is held to the stricter category: the guidance says that where a mixture is used in several applications, the most stringent restriction applies.

Can I sell soap scented with it, and how is it regulated?

That depends on what you call it and what is in it. FDA applies the word "soap" only when the bulk of the nonvolatile matter is an alkali salt of fatty acids and the product is "labeled, sold, and represented solely as soap"; such products are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and not FDA ( FDA, Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?), current as of 2024 ). A cleanser that does not meet the definition is a cosmetic, with the labeling rules that follow. Which one you are is a question for a cosmetics regulatory consultant or attorney, not for the oil supplier. Our worked batch is cold process soap .

How much oil should I use per pound of soap?

We publish no soap usage rate for the oil and have not made a batch. Our bulk page says it has "decent throw" in cold-process soap but reads softer than heavier musks or woods, and advises testing the fragrance load at small scale before committing bulk oil to a full batch. Take your rate from your soap base or recipe supplier and test a small bar first; the cold process post shows the arithmetic.

How much oil should I add to a pound of wax?

Read the ceiling on your wax maker's sheet, because it differs by wax. One US seller lists 10 percent for containers in Golden Brands 464 soy (45 g of oil per 454 g of wax) and 6 percent for tealights ( CandleScience, accessed 2026 ). That is for that wax and that seller's oils, not a rating for ours. Our recommendation is a three-candle ladder below the ceiling, covered with the arithmetic in the soy candle pour sequence ; if the result is faint, the weak throw post takes the wick, cure and temperature before the load.

What do I need to know before I sell candles?

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission lists a mandatory limit for lead in metal-cored wicks (0.06 percent by weight), cautionary labeling if a candle contains a substance covered by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and voluntary standards for labeling, fire safety and visible emissions ( CPSC, Candles ). We have not read those standards. Our label post sets out what is law and what is a standard.

Can I get a sample before buying in bulk?

Our bulk page offers sample bottles in any retail size, a free consultation form and an account manager, and lists sizes of 5, 25 and 400 lb. Start with the smallest bottle that lets you run each project once; see the staged testing plan . See the shop page for current prices.

Will every lot match the published certificate?

We cannot say. The certificate we publish covers one batch, and we do not claim every batch matches it. Our home page says the blend is adjusted so green stem, almond sweetness and a musky base stay in balance from batch to batch, which is the shop's description of intent and not a measurement. A lot number is carried on the bottle. Our recommendation for makers is to write the lot number on every batch sheet, keep a retained sample of each lot, and ask in writing about a lot before you pour a large run. We cannot promise any document for a specific lot.

Making Lilac Soap or Candles? Questions to Ask First

Q: How should I store it between batches?

Our shop says to keep it tightly capped in a cool, dark place and gives a typical shelf life of 1 to 2 years for floral oils, which is the shop's wording and not a tested figure. For bulk, the shop advises keeping it in the sealed container and decanting working amounts into smaller airtight bottles. More in how to store lilac oil .

If you make soap or candles, a new scent raises the same handful of questions every time. Here are the ones we would ask before ordering Lilac Blossom Oil, in the order they tend to come up. Where a longer post already does the arithmetic, we link it instead of repeating it. We sell only the lilac oil, so wax, wicks, lye, soap base, jars and dye come from a craft or soap supply shop.

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Before you order

Is it a fragrance oil or an essential oil?

It is a third thing. Lilac Blossom Oil is a composition of botanical extracts and infused aromatics, built to be faithful to the common lilac in bloom. It is not a distillate and not an absolute, and no true lilac essential oil exists in our range. We do not publish the formula or name the extracts. Our post on fragrance oil versus crafted blossom oil compares the two.

Which documents should I have in hand?

For products you sell, three: a safety data sheet, a flash point and an IFRA statement for your product type. The Certificate of Analysis we publish covers one batch and lists appearance, smell, a relative density of 0.973, a refractive index of 1.501 and an optical rotation of -0.72 degrees. For anything beyond that, ask us in writing through the contact page before you order, and keep our answer with your batch records. IFRA explains that a Certificate of Conformity is issued for a specific mixture, at a stated concentration in a stated product type, up to a named amendment, and that it does not replace a safety assessment (Guidance for the use of IFRA Standards, IFRA). Our guide to reading a COA and SDS shows what each document does.

Which IFRA category is my product?

The same guidance sorts products by how much fragrance reaches skin. These are the placements for the products makers ask about most:

Product	IFRA category
Bar soap	9
Body creams, oils and lotions	5A
Air freshener sprays, manual	10B
Pillow spray	11B
Candles of all types	12

Candles sit in Category 12 because skin exposure is considered negligible. A product that serves two purposes is held to the stricter category, since the guidance says the most stringent restriction applies when a mixture is used across several applications.

Soap

How is scented soap regulated?

That depends on what you call it. FDA uses the word soap for products where the bulk of the nonvolatile matter is an alkali salt of fatty acids and that are labeled, sold and represented solely as soap; those fall to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A cleanser that does not meet the definition is a cosmetic, with its own labeling rules (Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?), FDA). Which one you are is a question for a regulatory consultant or attorney.

How much per pound of soap?

Take the rate from your soap base or recipe supplier and make a small bar first. Our bulk guidance is that lilac has decent throw in cold-process soap while reading softer than heavier musks or woods, and that a small-scale test of your fragrance load is worth the extra step before committing bulk oil. Our cold process post shows the arithmetic.

Candles

How much oil per pound of wax?

Read the ceiling on your wax maker's sheet, because it differs from wax to wax. One US supplier lists 10 percent for containers in Golden Brands 464 soy, which is 45 g of oil per 454 g of wax, and 6 percent for tealights (Golden Brands 464 Soy Wax, CandleScience). That is for that wax, not a rating for our oil. We suggest a three-candle ladder below the ceiling, worked through in our soy candle pour post, and if the result is faint, the weak throw post takes wick, cure and temperature first.

In a clean, bright small workshop with smooth white walls and a smooth pale workbench

A note on patience

Soap needs weeks and candles need a cure, and a floral often smells different at day one than at week three. Pour or cut a test, label it with the date, and come back to it with fresh air in your nose. Lilac is a subtle scent, so judge it in a quiet room, not next to a pot of something strong. Keep your notes on what you tried, and you will always know which version to make again.

Ordering and lots

Can I try it before going bulk?

Yes. Our bulk page offers sample bottles in any retail size, a free consultation form and an account manager, with bulk sizes of 5, 25 and 400 lb. Start with the smallest bottle that lets you run each project once, and see the shop page for current prices. Our staged testing plan shows how.

Will every lot match the Certificate of Analysis?

The certificate we publish covers one batch, so we do not promise that every batch matches it. We adjust the blend so green stem, almond sweetness and a musky base stay in balance from batch to batch, and a lot number is carried on every bottle. For makers, our suggestion is to write the lot number on every batch sheet, keep a small retained sample of each lot, and ask us in writing about a lot before a large run.

How should I store it between batches?

Keep it tightly capped in a cool, dark place. We describe the typical shelf life for floral oils as 1 to 2 years. For bulk, keep the sealed container and decant working amounts into smaller airtight bottles. Our storage post goes into why heat and sun matter for a floral.

A good answer on paper before the pour saves a lot of wax and lye afterwards, so ask early, ask in writing and keep what you are told.