Essential Oil Risk: Phototoxicity
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
Two
weeks ago, I read an online article about a woman who had second and third-degree burns after applying essential
oil to her skin right before going in a tanning bed. It turned out she got a phototoxic
skin reaction from the essential oil. Sadly, there are several people like
her who are not even aware of this kind of risk so allow me to explain it in
more details.
Aside
from the usual skin sensitization,
another common risk associated to the improper use of essential oil is photosensitization.
What is Photosensitization?
In
the book Essential Oil Safety,
photosensitization is defined as “a reaction to a substance applied to the skin
that occurs only in the presence of UV light in the UVA range, and it may be
either phototoxic or photoallergic” (Tisserand & Young, 2014, p. 84). In
other words, photosensitization happens when you apply essential oils on your
skin that contain chemical compounds that will react to UV light, whether
natural (e.g. sunlight) or artificial (e.g. tanning bed). Between the two types
of photosensitization, phototoxicity
is the most common in essential oils.
In
reality, there is really nothing wrong with using phototoxic essential oils on
skin. However, the one thing that makes it harmful is when you expose your skin
to sunlight or tanning bed right after the application of the phototoxic
essential oils that are not safely diluted according to its maximum dermal
limit.
It’s
also important to note that the risks associated to phototoxic essential oils
are only applicable if applied topically on the skin. There is no phototoxic risks
if the essential oils are not applied on the body (e.g. inhaler) or are
washed-off from the body (e.g. shower gel). On the other hand, risks can still
occur if phototoxic essential oils are used in sauna or steam inhalation as
those tiny droplets of oils emitted into the air can stick to the skin (Tisserand
& Young, 2014).
Essential
oils containing a chemical compound called furanocoumarin
are notorious for being phototoxic. Furanocoumarin is often found in citrus fruit
essential oils (e.g. bergamot, lime) but this does not mean that all citrus fruit
essential oils are phototoxic. In fact, cold-pressed (expressed) citrus fruit
essential oils tend to be more phototoxic compared to their steam-distilled
version.
The
following table lists essential oils (citrus and non-citrus) that are
phototoxic.
|
ESSENTIAL
OIL
|
LATIN
NAME
|
MAX.
DERMAL USE LEVEL
|
|
Angelica Root
|
Angelica glauca
|
0.8%
|
|
Bergamot
|
Citrus bergamia
|
0.4%
|
|
Cumin
|
Cuminum cyminum
|
0.4%
|
|
Fig Leaf Absolute
|
Ficus carica
|
No safe level
|
|
Grapefruit (cold-pressed)
|
Citrus paradisi
|
4%
|
|
Lemon (cold-pressed)
|
Citrus limon
|
2.0%
|
|
Lemon Verbena
|
Aloysia triphylla
|
No safe level
|
|
Lime (cold-pressed)
|
Citrus aurantifolia
|
0.7%
|
|
Mandarin Leaf
|
Citrus reticulata
|
0.17%
|
|
Orange (bitter, cold-pressed)
|
Citrus x aurantium
|
1.25%
|
|
Rue
|
Ruta graveolens
|
0.15%
|
|
Taget oil or absolute
|
Tagetes minuta
|
0.01%
|
Table Source: Tisserand & Young, 2014, p. 86 - 87
The
following table lists non-phototoxic citrus fruit and leaf essential oils.
|
ESSENTIAL
OIL
|
LATIN
NAME
|
|
Bergamot (FCF/Bergapten-free)
|
Citrus bergamia
|
|
Lemon (steam distilled)
|
Citrus limon
|
|
Lemon Leaf
|
Citrus limon
|
|
Lime (steam distilled)
|
Citrus aurantifolia
|
|
Grapefruit (steam distilled)
|
Citrus paradisi
|
|
Mandarin or Tangerine
|
Citrus reticulata
|
|
Petitgrain (Orange Leaf)
|
Citrus x aurantium
|
|
Sweet Orange
|
Citrus sinensis
|
|
Yuzu
|
Citrus junos
|
What are the Symptoms of Phototoxicity?
Phototoxic
skin reaction to essential oils can start to show up within 24 hours after sun
exposure with the following symptoms:
- Sunburn (can be first to third-degree burns)
- Skin rashes (may or may not cause itching)
- Blisters
- Skin pigmentation (discoloration) that may last for weeks or months
The
severity of phototoxic skin reactions vary for each person and is directly
proportional to the amount of phototoxic essential oil used and the duration of
sun exposure.
How to Avoid Phototoxicity When Using Essential
Oils?
The
safest way to avoid phototoxicity is to not use phototoxic essential oils on
skin. However, if you really love the smell of citrus fruit essential oils on
your skincare products, then here are a couple of tips to help you avoid the
risks.
- For topical application of citrus fruit essential oils, it is recommended to always use the steam-distilled version instead of the cold-pressed (expressed) ones.
- For extra precautionary measures, cover areas applied with phototoxic essential oils with thick clothing fabrics to effectively block the UV light. If you can’t cover them, then put sunscreen on the affected areas.
- Whenever you applied phototoxic essential oils on your skin (even if you follow the safe dilution level), it is safer not to expose your skin to UV light for 12 – 24 hours.
- When using phototoxic essential oil for topical applications, make sure to dilute it according to its maximum dermal safe percentage (see table above). It is also better not to use several phototoxic essential oils in a single blend as it would be more difficult to accurately compute the correct safe percentage of all the phototoxic essential oils used. Of course, the most accurate way of computing for the safe amount is to measure by weight and not by drops.
What to Do in Case of Phototoxicity?
As
soon as you experience symptoms of phototoxicity, wash the affected skin
thoroughly with plain soap and water for at least 10 minutes. If symptoms still
persist after 24 hours, then immediately consult a doctor. Avoid doing
self-medication on the inflamed skin by applying more essential oils because
doing so might worsen the problem.
References:
Jacobson,
L. (2015, April 22). Phototoxic Essential Oils – How to Stay Safe in the Sun.
Retrieved from http://www.usingeossafely.com/phototoxic-essential-oils-how-to-stay-safe-in-the-sun/
Siegmund-Roach,
S. (2016, July 11). The Truth About Phototoxic Essential Oils & How to Use
Them Safely. Retrieved from https://theherbalacademy.com/truth-phototoxic-essential-oils-use-safely/
Tisserand, R. and Young, R.
(2014). Essential Oil Safety (2nd
ed.). London: Elsevier.
P.S.
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1 comments
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