ESSENTIAL OILS GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE (GRAS)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates approximately 80% of the U.S. food supply, and is involved with many facets of food safety. Within FDA, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s (CFSAN) Office of Food Additive Safety is responsible for reviewing safety information for food ingredients and food packaging.
GRAS Determination vs. Food Additive Safety Determination
For a substance to be GRAS, the scientific data and information about the use of a substance must be widely known, and there must be a consensus among qualified experts that those data and information establish that the substance is safe under the conditions of its intended use.
However, for a food additive, privately held data and information about the use of a substance are sent by the sponsor to FDA, which evaluates those data and information to determine whether they establish that the substance is safe under the conditions of its intended use.
Thus, for a food additive, FDA determines the safety of the ingredient, whereas a determination that an ingredient is GRAS can be made by qualified experts outside of government.
Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives (including distillates) that are generally recognized as safe for their intended use, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), are as follows:
| Common name | Botanical name of plant source |
|---|---|
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa L. |
| Allspice | Pimenta officinalis Lindl. |
| Almond, bitter (free from prussic acid) | Prunus amygdalus Batsch, Prunus armeniaca L., or Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. |
| Ambrette (seed) | Hibiscus moschatus Moench. |
| Angelica root | Angelica archangelica L. |
| Angelica seed | Do. |
| Angelica stem | Do. |
| Angostura (cusparia bark) | Galipea officinalis Hancock. |
| Anise | Pimpinella anisum L. |
| Asafetida | Ferula assa-foetida L. and related spp. of Ferula. |
| Balm (lemon balm) | Melissa officinalis L. |
| Balsam of Peru | Myroxylon pereirae Klotzsch. |
| Basil | Ocimum basilicum L. |
| Bay leaves | Laurus nobilis L. |
| Bay (myrcia oil) | Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J. W. Moore. |
| Bergamot (bergamot orange) | Citrus aurantium L. subsp. bergamia Wright et Arn. |
| Bitter almond (free from prussic acid) | Prunus amygdalus Batsch, Prunus armeniaca L., or Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. |
| Bois de rose | Aniba rosaeodora Ducke. |
| Cacao | Theobroma cacao L. |
| Camomile (chamomile) flowers, Hungarian | Matricaria chamomilla L. |
| Camomile (chamomile) flowers, Roman or English | Anthemis nobilis L. |
| Cananga | Cananga odorata Hook. f. and Thoms. |
| Capsicum | Capsicum frutescens L. and Capsicum annuum L. |
| Caraway | Carum carvi L. |
| Cardamom seed (cardamon) | Elettaria cardamomum Maton. |
| Carob bean | Ceratonia siliqua L. |
| Carrot | Daucus carota L. |
| Cascarilla bark | Croton eluteria Benn. |
| Cassia bark, Chinese | Cinnamomum cassia Blume. |
| Cassia bark, Padang or Batavia | Cinnamomum burmanni Blume. |
| Cassia bark, Saigon | Cinnamomum loureirii Nees. |
| Celery seed | Apium graveolens L. |
| Cherry, wild, bark | Prunus serotina Ehrh. |
| Chervil | Anthriscus cerefolium (L.) Hoffm. |
| Chicory | Cichorium intybus L. |
| Cinnamon bark, Ceylon | Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees. |
| Cinnamon bark, Chinese | Cinnamomum cassia Blume. |
| Cinnamon bark, Saigon | Cinnamomum loureirii Nees. |
| Cinnamon leaf, Ceylon | Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees. |
| Cinnamon leaf, Chinese | Cinnamomum cassia Blume. |
| Cinnamon leaf, Saigon | Cinnamomum loureirii Nees. |
| Citronella | Cymbopogon nardus Rendle. |
| Citrus peels | Citrus spp. |
| Clary (clary sage) | Salvia sclarea L. |
| Clover | Trifolium spp. |
| Coca (decocainized) | Erythroxylum coca Lam. and other spp. of Erythroxylum. |
| Coffee | Coffea spp. |
| Cola nut | Cola acuminata Schott and Endl., and other spp. of Cola. |
| Coriander | Coriandrum sativum L. |
| Cumin (cummin) | Cuminum cyminum L. |
| Curacao orange peel (orange, bitter peel) | Citrus aurantium L. |
| Cusparia bark | Galipea officinalis Hancock. |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale Weber and T. laevigatum DC. |
| Dandelion root | Do. |
| Dog grass (quackgrass, triticum) | Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv. |
| Elder flowers | Sambucus canadensis L. and S. nigra I. |
| Estragole (esdragol, esdragon, tarragon) | Artemisia dracunculus L. |
| Estragon (tarragon) | Do. |
| Fennel, sweet | Foeniculum vulgare Mill. |
| Fenugreek | Trigonella foenum-graecum L. |
| Galanga (galangal) | Alpinia officinarum Hance. |
| Geranium | Pelargonium spp. |
| Geranium, East Indian | Cymbopogon martini Stapf. |
| Geranium, rose | Pelargonium graveolens L’Her. |
| Ginger | Zingiber officinale Rosc. |
| Grapefruit | Citrus paradisi Macf. |
| Guava | Psidium spp. |
| Hickory bark | Carya spp. |
| Horehound (hoarhound) | Marrubium vulgare L. |
| Hops | Humulus lupulus L. |
| Horsemint | Monarda punctata L. |
| Hyssop | Hyssopus officinalis L. |
| Immortelle | Helichrysum augustifolium DC. |
| Jasmine | Jasminum officinale L. and other spp. of Jasminum. |
| Juniper (berries) | Juniperus communis L. |
| Kola nut | Cola acuminata Schott and Endl., and other spp. of Cola. |
| Laurel berries | Laurus nobilis L. |
| Laurel leaves | Laurus spp. |
| Lavender | Lavandula officinalis Chaix. |
| Lavender, spike | Lavandula latifolia Vill. |
| Lavandin | Hybrids between Lavandula officinalis Chaix and Lavandula latifolin Vill. |
| Lemon | Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. |
| Lemon balm (see balm) | |
| Lemon grass | Cymbopogon citratus DC. and Cymbopogon lexuosus Stapf. |
| Lemon peel | Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. |
| Lime | Citrus aurantifolia Swingle. |
| Linden flowers | Tilia spp. |
| Locust bean | Ceratonia siliqua L, |
| Lupulin | Humulus lupulus L. |
| Mace | Myristica fragrans Houtt. |
| Mandarin | Citrus reticulata Blanco. |
| Marjoram, sweet | Majorana hortensis Moench. |
| Mate | Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil. |
| Melissa (see balm) | |
| Menthol | Mentha spp. |
| Menthyl acetate | Do. |
| Molasses (extract) | Saccarum officinarum L. |
| Mustard | Brassica spp. |
| Naringin | Citrus paradisi Macf. |
| Neroli, bigarade | Citrus aurantium L. |
| Nutmeg | Myristica fragrans Houtt. |
| Onion | Allium cepa L. |
| Orange, bitter, flowers | Citrus aurantium L. |
| Orange, bitter, peel | Do. |
| Orange leaf | Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck. |
| Orange, sweet | Do. |
| Orange, sweet, flowers | Do. |
| Orange, sweet, peel | Do. |
| Origanum | Origanum spp. |
| Palmarosa | Cymbopogon martini Stapf. |
| Paprika | Capsicum annuum L. |
| Parsley | Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Mansf. |
| Pepper, black | Piper nigrum L. |
| Pepper, white | Do. |
| Peppermint | Mentha piperita L. |
| Peruvian balsam | Myroxylon pereirae Klotzsch. |
| Petitgrain | Citrus aurantium L. |
| Petitgrain lemon | Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. |
| Petitgrain mandarin or tangerine | Citrus reticulata Blanco. |
| Pimenta | Pimenta officinalis Lindl. |
| Pimenta leaf | Pimenta officinalis Lindl. |
| Pipsissewa leaves | Chimaphila umbellata Nutt. |
| Pomegranate | Punica granatum L. |
| Prickly ash bark | Xanthoxylum (or Zanthoxylum) Americanum Mill. or Xanthoxylum clava-herculis L. |
| Rose absolute | Rosa alba L., Rosa centifolia L., Rosa damascena Mill., Rosa gallica L., and vars. of these spp. |
| Rose (otto of roses, attar of roses) | Do. |
| Rose buds | Do. |
| Rose flowers | Do. |
| Rose fruit (hips) | Do. |
| Rose geranium | Pelargonium graveolens L’Her. |
| Rose leaves | Rosa spp. |
| Rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis L. |
| Saffron | Crocus sativus L. |
| Sage | Salvia officinalis L. |
| Sage, Greek | Salvia triloba L. |
| Sage, Spanish | Salvia lavandulaefolia Vahl. |
| St. John’s bread | Ceratonia siliqua L. |
| Savory, summer | Satureia hortensis L. |
| Savory, winter | Satureia montana L. |
| Schinus molle | Schinus molle L. |
| Sloe berries (blackthorn berries) | Prunus spinosa L. |
| Spearmint | Mentha spicata L. |
| Spike lavender | Lavandula latifolia Vill. |
| Tamarind | Tamarindus indica L. |
| Tangerine | Citrus reticulata Blanco. |
| Tarragon | Artemisia dracunculus L. |
| Tea | Thea sinensis L. |
| Thyme | Thymus vulgaris L. and Thymus zygis var. gracilis Boiss. |
| Thyme, white | Do. |
| Thyme, wild or creeping | Thymus serpyllum L. |
| Triticum (see dog grass) | |
| Tuberose | Polianthes tuberosa L. |
| Turmeric | Curcuma longa L. |
| Vanilla | Vanilla planifolia Andr. or Vanilla tahitensis J. W. Moore. |
| Violet flowers | Viola odorata L. |
| Violet leaves | Do. |
| Violet leaves absolute | Do. |
| Wild cherry bark | Prunus serotina Ehrh. |
| Ylang-ylang | Cananga odorata Hook. f. and Thoms. |
| Zedoary bark | Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. |