What are flavoring oils?

flavoring oils

Flavoring oils is a type of functional ingredient that add flavor to your cosmetic products.

Lip products such as lipstick, lip balm, lip matte and lip tint often have flavoring oils added in them.

Why add flavoring oils in lip products?

Lip products are usually made of butters, oils and wax. These cosmetic-grade ingredients are definitely beneficial by giving you extra vitamins, hydration and aesthetically pleasing to wear.

But they can give off an awful odor and taste!

Shea butter for example has a nutty smell. If the lipstick that contains shea butter is unflavored, she may not like that nutty taste on her lips.

By adding flavoring oils, it helps mask the nutty smell.

Which flavoring oils can I add into my formula?

There are many types of flavoring oils you can choose from!

  • Fruity - Apple, Pineapple, Melon
  • Food - Cotton Candy, Cinnamon Bun
  • Floral - Rose
  • Berries - Strawberry
  • Drinks - Chai Tea, Cola
  • Herbs - Mint

If you are not so adventurous or just afraid that your customers do not like the aroma, simply add Vanilla flavoring oil or Stevia sweetener!

You can never go wrong with base notes like Vanilla and a vegan sweetener like Stevia.

How to add flavoring oils?

Typically used in very small amounts, you can start by adding between 0.1% to 2% and work your way up to 5%.

Adding too little will not mask the nutty-waxy smell and adding too much can cause product to taste weird.

Flavoring oils count into your oil phase. As such, if your formula calls for both oils and water, you need to calculate your emulsion percentage accordingly.

However, if there are oils in your formula and you only need to use flavoring oils at less than 3%, a solubilizer may be more appropriate.

Generally, flavoring oils are light-yellow to dark brown in color. It will not alter the color of your final product. 

Storing products with flavored oils is also not a problem. You can use any packaging you like.

It is nothing like the Vitamin C which is sensitive to light and oxygen, it has to be packaged in a dark container and kept in a cool place.

Do not add dangerous oils into your products

As responsible formulators, we are only allowed to use cosmetic-grade flavoring oils and fragrances to our products.

Even though essential oils are generally safe to be used externally, I do not recommend to add any EOs in lip products!

Oils that are safe to use:

  • Carrier oils
  • Infused or macerated oils
  • Synthetic fragrance oils
  • Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status oils

Where to buy flavoring oils?

Making Cosmetics
TKB Trading