{"id":6078,"date":"2011-04-25T15:13:44","date_gmt":"2011-04-25T21:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greatcakessoapworks.com\/handmade-soap-blog\/?p=6078"},"modified":"2023-06-27T17:44:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T23:44:01","slug":"bitter-almond-essential-oil-is-it-skin-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatcakessoapworks.com\/handmade-soap-blog\/index.php\/bitter-almond-essential-oil-is-it-skin-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitter Almond Essential Oil – Is it Skin Safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Almond<\/a>
Almond Milk Hand & Body Lotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>I’ve been thinking about bitter almond essential oil recently since I decided to start using natural scents for the Hand & Body Lotions<\/a>. I had been using a synthetic almond fragrance, and I have quite a few customers who would call this their favorite. I would like to find a natural alternative so that I can continue to carry an almond scented lotion. <\/p>\n

I knew that there was such a thing as almond essential oil, but somewhere in the back of my mind I also remembered reading something about it not being the best choice for skin care. So I decided to do a little bit of research. At the top of my list of search results, I found that WSP offers an all natural bitter almond fragrance<\/a>. It is about 48% essential oil and 52% sweet almond oil – I think. The certificate of compliance lists different ingredients than the official ingredients list. The recommended maximum usage level for lotions is 0.5%. (I normally scent my lotions at 1%.) All the reviewers give it five stars, claim it is super potent, a little goes a long way, best seller, etc. There are no warnings associated with this product. <\/p>\n

So why was I concerned? I found a little bit more information about bitter almond essential oil. According to Esoteric Oils<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\nThe main chemical components of bitter almond oil are benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic (prussic acid).
\nBitter almond oil should never be used in therapy. The human ingestion of 7.5 ml of Bitter almond oil has resulted in death, so this oil should be handled with great care.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) information on bitter almond essential oil states:<\/p>\n

LIQUID MAY BE IRRITATING TO SKIN AND EYES. VAPOR MAY BE IRRITATING TO EYES, THROAT AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. BREATHING OF HIGH CONCENTRATION OF VAPOR MAY CAUSE NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIZZINESS AND LOSS OF MUSCLE COORDINATION.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No wonder I had concerns! Oh, and did I mention that bitter almond essential oil is also regulated by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)?<\/p>\n

However, I did find an article at statssheet.com (no longer available) which claims that there may be other natural alternatives that still smell like almond essential oil:<\/p>\n

In spite of the dangers associated with bitter almond essential oil, consumers continue to demand the scent of almonds in their essential oils. Therefore, oil distillers have responded to their requests and provided “bitter almond” essential oil marketed under the bitter oil name but being derived instead from cherry pits. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This might explain one reviewer’s remarks about the WSP Bitter Almond Fragrance that “Initially it smells like cherries but after sitting it has a slightly more nutty smell.” I’ve sent an email to Debbie May, owner of WSP, to find out what is actually in her product. She is looking into it, but her purchasing manager wasn’t going to be in the office until later, so I’ll let you know what I find out! <\/p>\n

I would love to be able to use a natural almond fragrance that is also skin safe. Seems like I may be on to something… Do any of you use a bitter almond essential oil in your soaps or lotions that is skin safe? I’d love to hear about it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been thinking about bitter almond essential oil recently since I decided to start using natural scents for the Hand & Body Lotions. I had been using a synthetic almond fragrance, and I have quite a few customers who would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[579,578],"class_list":["post-6078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-essential-oil-information","tag-almond-essential-oil-for-skin-care","tag-bitter-almond-essential-oil"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t