Amyris Body Oil: How Much to Add per Bottle

A body oil is the easiest essential oil blend to make and the easiest to make too strong. One millilitre of amyris in a 100 ml bottle is 1%, a very sensible place to start, and a scent you can only just catch on your skin is usually right. Here are the amounts, the carrier question and the practical things most recipes forget.

Amyris Essential Oil bottle

Amyris Essential Oil

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Choose the strength first

The Tisserand Institute gives 1% to 3% for body oils and lotions, and 0.2% to 1% for reaction prone skin (Tisserand Institute). Our guidance for amyris is 0.5% to 2% in a carrier oil with a patch test first. Reading the two together, we suggest 1% as the default, 0.5% for daily use or if you are unsure how your skin will react, and 2% as the ceiling. Keep body strength off the face: the beard oil shows facial numbers.

The arithmetic

Amyris needed equals bottle volume times percentage. Drops vary from dropper to dropper, so the table uses the rough convention of 20 drops per ml. For accuracy, a 1 ml pipette or a gram scale beats counting. Weights use the relative density of 0.952 on the certificate we publish for one batch.

Strength50 ml bottle100 ml bottleWeight in 100 ml
0.5%0.25 ml (5 drops)0.5 ml (10 drops)0.48 g
1%0.5 ml (10 drops)1 ml (20 drops)0.95 g
2%1 ml (20 drops)2 ml (40 drops)1.90 g

Fill the rest with carrier oil. Everyday: 99.5 ml carrier and 0.5 ml amyris. Standard: 99 ml carrier and 1 ml amyris. If you fancy a floral twist, rose and amyris body oil is the sister recipe, and the dilution chart covers other bottle sizes.

Start with a small bottle

The first time, we would make 50 ml rather than 100. It is less carrier oil to commit to, and it lets you find out whether you like the scent on your skin before you have filled a big bottle with it. The table above makes this easy: at 1% a 50 ml bottle takes half a millilitre, about 10 drops by the rough convention. If you enjoy it, the second batch is just a matter of doubling.

Picking a carrier

We do not sell carrier oils, so buy from any reputable supplier. A 100 ml bottle used daily lasts a while, so how well the oil keeps matters; our carrier oils guide compares them. There is also the skin question. A 2017 review by Lin and colleagues reports one study where olive oil, mostly oleic acid, harmed skin barrier function in adults while sunflower seed oil did not (Lin et al., 2017). A small infant pilot found no difference, so it is not settled, but it is a reason not to reach for olive oil automatically for daily whole body use. With a tree nut, peanut or sesame allergy, avoid those oils and ask an allergist. With eczema, ask a dermatologist before using any plant oil.

What you will notice on skin

Amyris is creamy, woody and balsamic with a soft vanilla undertone, and on skin it behaves as a close, quiet scent rather than a cloud. Right after you apply it you will notice the aroma most strongly, and then it settles down to something you catch only when you move or lean close. That is the sign you have it about right. If you find yourself smelling it from across the room, the next batch should use less.

Sun and citrus

Pressed citrus oils can make skin react to sunlight. The Tisserand Institute cites an IFRA maximum of 0.4% bergamot oil in a final product on sun exposed skin and advises keeping treated skin out of UV for at least 12 hours (Tisserand Institute). The simplest approach is an amyris only body oil. If you add a citrus top note, read our phototoxic oils guide first.

Using it, without the slip

Apply on damp skin after a shower; the water helps a little oil spread further, so you use less. Then mind the bathroom:

Bottle and label

A dark glass bottle with a pump or a dropper cap keeps the oil clean and makes it easy to dose. Write the date and the strength on the label when you fill it, for example "amyris 1%, filled on this date", so you never have to wonder later what is in it. Store it somewhere cool and out of direct sun, and keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Who should skip it

Skip scented oils on broken or inflamed skin, and ask a dermatologist about any skin concern. In pregnancy, ask an OB-GYN or midwife, and for babies and children, a pediatrician. We sell an external cosmetic oil and make no claim that amyris or any body oil improves skin. In a body oil, amyris is there for its creamy, woody, balsamic fragrance and nothing more.

For larger areas, massage oil uses lower strengths, and essential oils on skin explains the thinking.

Amyris Essential Oil bottle

Amyris Essential Oil

Amyris Essential Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $23.99

Shop Now →

Sources & Further Reading