How much essential oil is safe in face products?
Short answer
No more than 1% in total, or 0.3 g in a 30 g product. Avoid phototoxic citrus oils in daytime face care.
Explanation
The book names bergamot, orange and lemon as phototoxic. For comparison, it uses about 1–1.5% essential oil in bath salts and up to 2% fragrance to mask the smell of raw shea in body butter.
What to do
- In leave-on products, choose bergapten-free (FCF) bergamot.
Source: The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care — Omega-Renewal Facial Elixir and safety notes