Essential Oil Allergens, Nut Allergens and Pregnancy and Natural Skincare – Autumn 2025

Allergens in Essential Oils and Nut Allergies

At Chapter Organics, the safety and wellbeing of our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We understand that allergies and sensitivities are an important consideration when choosing skincare, home fragrance, and wellbeing products. This guide has been created to help you understand how allergens can occur naturally in essential oils and what to be aware of if you have a nut allergy.

 1. Naturally Occurring Allergens in Essential Oils

Essential oils are 100% natural plant extracts, concentrated and powerful. Because of this, they can contain naturally occurring chemical compounds known as allergens.

These are not artificial additives; they are natural constituents of the plants themselves. However, some people may experience sensitivity or irritation if their skin reacts to these components.

Common naturally occurring allergens include:

• Limonene (found in citrus oils such as Sweet Orange, Grapefruit and Lemon)
• Linalool (found in Lavender, Basil, and Coriander)
• Geraniol (found in Rose, Geranium, and Lemongrass)
• Citral (found in Lemongrass and Lemon Myrtle)
• Citronellol (found in Geranium and Rose)
• Eugenol (found in Clove, Cinnamon and Ylang Ylang)

All allergens present in our blends are listed clearly in the ingredients section on each product label and on our website, in accordance with UK and EU cosmetic safety regulations.

A Note on Our Pure Essential Oil Blends

Our pure essential oil blends are designed for inhalation, not topical use. They have not been tested for skin safety and should not be applied directly to the skin, even when mixed with a carrier oil.
For skin, please choose from our skin-safe, lab-tested ranges: Body Oils, Shower Oils, Bathing Oils, Rollerballs, Cleansers, Salts, and Moisturisers.

2. Nut-Based Ingredients and Nut Allergies

As a natural skincare manufacturer, we work with a wide range of plant and seed oils to create our blends. Many of these oils come from tree nuts or kernels, as they make up a huge proportion of the natural bases used in skincare. All manufacturers of natural skincare will handle nut and seeds as part of their manufacturing. We do take care to inform our customers that our brand is natural and uses natural ingredients. It says on the front of our labels the ingredients and on the back it breaks down the ingredients and even outlines the Tree Nut warning on certain products and we’re working to do more on this.

Because food-style allergy labels don’t apply to cosmetics, we don’t always use “may contain” or “nut-free” claims. Instead, we make sure everything is fully declared so you can make an informed choice. Because Nuts and Seeds make up the majority of the bases in the natural sector we cannot and do not need to label all ingredients as an allergen.

At our Studio, we handle:

 

• Sweet Almond Oil
• Apricot Kernel Oil
• Shea Butter (from the shea nut)
• Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera)

Even if these ingredients are not present in a specific blend (for example, a cleanser), there is always a chance of cross-contamination because we are a small, artisan manufacturing studio.

For this reason, if you have a serious nut allergy, we strongly advise avoiding our skincare products and instead looking for a specialist “nut-free skincare” brand. Your safety is always our highest priority.

 

• The Peace, The Angel, The Tonic, The Self, The Quiet — Body & Hand Moisturiser
• The Peace, The Wise — Body, Bath & Shower Oils

(Please note: other blends may not list nut oils in their recipe, but due to cross-contamination risk we do not recommend them for nut-allergy sufferers.)

Are your products safe for people with nut allergies?

Many natural skincare ingredients are plant- or nut-derived, which can make choosing safe products more complex if you live with a nut allergy. Here’s what you need to know:

Nut-derived oils we use:

• Sweet Almond Oil (tree nut)
• Apricot Kernel Oil (stone fruit seed, same family as almonds)
• Shea Butter (shea nut)
• Coconut Oil (classed as a tree nut under food law, though usually well tolerated)

Even though these ingredients are used externally, people with severe nut allergies — especially almond or coconut — may prefer to avoid them.

What we recommend

 

• Check the full ingredient list on every product front and back — we declare everything transparently by INCI name
• Avoid if you have a known nut allergy.
• Consult your healthcare provider if you are unsure.
• Patch test before use if you have sensitivities.
• Reach out to us — we’re always happy to answer ingredient questions or guide you towards the safest choice.

 

Spotlight on Apricot Kernel Oil

 

• Derived from the seeds inside apricot stones (a stone fruit, not a true nut).
• Same botanical family (Rosaceae) as almonds, plums, cherries, and peaches.
• Some people with almond allergies may react due to similar protein structures.
• Refined oils usually contain fewer proteins (lower risk); unrefined oils may retain more.
• Generally considered low risk in cosmetics, but we advise caution for anyone with a severe tree nut allergy.

 

Spotlight on Sweet Almond Oil

• A true tree nut oil, pressed from almond nuts.
• Refined almond oil is often low in proteins (lower allergy risk), but unrefined/cold-pressed almond oil may still carry traces.
• If you have a tree nut allergy — especially to almonds — we recommend avoiding products with this ingredient.

 

A Note on Our Pure Essential Oil Blends

Our pure essential oil blends are designed for inhalation, not topical use. They have not been tested for skin safety and should not be applied directly to the skin, even when mixed with a carrier oil.
For skin, please choose from our skin-safe, lab-tested ranges: Body Oils, Shower Oils, Bathing Oils, Rollerballs, Cleansers, Salts, and Moisturisers.

3. Our Approach to Transparency and Safety

All Chapter Organics formulations are developed and safety-assessed by qualified cosmetic chemists in compliance with UK Cosmetic Product Safety Regulations (UK CPR).
We ensure:

• Every product has a full Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR).
• All potential allergens are listed on labels in line with IFRA (International Fragrance Association) and EU/UK legislation.
• Our production spaces maintain strict cleaning and hygiene standards to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

4. Tips for Sensitive Skin or Allergy-Prone Customers

• Always read the ingredient list before purchasing.
• Try a small patch test on your inner arm and wait 24 hours before using a new product more broadly.
• Avoid applying essential oils directly to the skin in their pure form — always use them in blended, diluted preparations as we do.
• If irritation occurs, discontinue use immediately.

 

Pregnancy and Essential Oils

All of our products contain Essential Oils. Every pregnancy is different - some women choose to avoid essential oils, some choose to include them in their pregnancy journey. We recommend doing your own research and consulting a medical professional if unsure.

Some Essential Oils can be used in pregnancy after the first trimester (12 weeks), after consultation with your healthcare professional. Please avoid Essential Oils if your pregnancy is high risk. Please consult your healthcare professional prior to using essential oils whilst breastfeeding.

No Essential Oils should be overused in Pregnancy.

You should NEVER put Essential Oils neat on the skin or ingest the oils at any time, particularly while pregnant, or breastfeeding.

The following Essential Oils could be used after the first trimester and cover many pregnancy complaints after consultation with a healthcare provider.

Once cleared with a medical professional we recommend our The Peace Blend. 

The Peace Chapter is the blend that many of our customers use during pregnancy. We always recommend our customers to check with their medical team and avoid if their pregnancy is high risk.

 The Clarity Chapter has Eucalyptus within it which has mixed opinion in the Aromatherapy world on whether its safe in pregnancy. Peppermint should also be used in low doses and to not overuse in pregnancy. 

The Quiet and The Old Solstice have Clove Oils within them which should be used with caution during pregnancy.

Avoid The Wise during pregnancy as it contains Clary Sage Essential Oil.

The Wise and The Peace Bath, Body, Shower and Massage Oils range are not suitable for pregnancy of breastfeeding as they contain a higher dosage of Essential oils.