ISO 210:2023

Essential oils - General requirements and guidelines for packaging, conditioning and storage

This document describes the requirements for containers which are intended for containing essential oils. It also provides some general requirements and guidelines relating to the conditioning and storage of essential oils. Essential oils are used for different purposes: - food use; - pharmaceutical use; - perfumery and cosmetic use; - reference samples or test samples; - industrial raw materials. It is expected that the containers used for essential oils also meet the requirements of national or international regulations. This document describes the materials which are used for the containers intended for containing essential oils, depending on the uses listed above.

Huiles essentielles — Exigences générales et recommandations en matière d'emballage, de conditionnement et de stockage

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 01-May-2023
• ICS: 71.100.60 - Essential oils
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 54 - Essential oils
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 54 - Essential oils
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 02-May-2023
• Due Date: 22-Mar-2023
• Completion Date: 02-May-2023

Relations

• Revises: ISO/TS 210:2014 - Essential oils - General rules for packaging, conditioning and storage
• Effective Date: 06-Jun-2022

Overview

ISO 210:2023 - "Essential oils: General requirements and guidelines for packaging, conditioning and storage" - defines requirements for containers, conditioning and storage of essential oils used for food, pharmaceutical, perfumery/cosmetic, reference/test samples and industrial raw materials. This first edition (May 2023) replaces ISO/TS 210:2014 and emphasizes material selection, container characteristics and practical handling to avoid product alteration and ensure regulatory compliance.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Container inertness and protection: Containers must not alter essential oil composition or organoleptic properties and should protect oils from external attack.
• Material recommendations by use:
  • Glass: Type III (soda‑calcic) and tinted non‑actinic glass is recommended-particularly for reference and pharmaceutical samples.
  • Stainless steel: Minimum ~13% chromium; other alloying elements limited to specified maxima.
  • Aluminium / alloys: Aluminium ≥99% purity with strict impurity limits; anodization allowed only in specified acids (sulfuric, sulfomaleic, sulfosalicilic, oxalic, phosphoric) and followed by controlled post‑treatments.
  • Tin: High‑purity tin (≈97% min) with limits on lead and arsenic.
  • Copper, zinc, galvanized iron: Generally not recommended for direct contact except during distillation.
  • Polymers / varnishes: Require prior compatibility testing; subject to migration limits set by applicable regulations (e.g., global migration limits such as 60 mg/kg or 10 mg/dm, depending on shape/dimensions).
  • Ceramic/enamel coatings: Subject to limits for lead and cadmium release per national/international rules.
• Pigments and colourings: If used for food or pharmaceutical containers they must meet purity and heavy‑metal limits (e.g., Lead 0.01%, Cadmium 0.01%, Mercury 0.005%, Arsenic 0.01%).
• Conditioning & storage: General guidelines for conditioning and storage to preserve quality; special cases and compatibility studies are highlighted, particularly for pharmaceutical applications.

Practical applications and users

This standard is essential for:

• Essential oil manufacturers and bottlers
• Cosmetic, perfumery and pharmaceutical formulators
• Food ingredient processors using essential oils
• Laboratory managers handling reference/test samples
• Packaging designers and material suppliers
• Regulatory and quality assurance teams ensuring compliance with food contact and pharmaceutical packaging rules

Using ISO 210:2023 helps minimize chemical interactions, preserve aroma and activity, meet international trade expectations, and support regulatory submissions.

Related standards and references

• Replaces ISO/TS 210:2014 (first edition ISO 210:2023)
• Refers to applicable Pharmacopoeia requirements (European, USP, JP) and national/international food contact and packaging regulations
• Prepared by ISO/TC 54 (Essential oils)

Keywords: ISO 210:2023, essential oils packaging, essential oils storage, container materials, food contact materials, pharmaceutical packaging, tinted non‑actinic glass, polymers migration limits.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 210
First edition
2023-05
Essential oils — General requirements
and guidelines for packaging,
conditioning and storage
Huiles essentielles — Exigences générales et recommandations en
matière d'emballage, de conditionnement et de stockage
Reference number
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Composition of the containers . 1
4.1 General . 1
4.2 Materials for containers of essential oils for food use . 2
4.2.1 Glass . 2
4.2.2 Metals and alloys . 2
4.2.3 Polymers: plastics and varnishes . 4
4.2.4 Ceramic, vitrified and enamelled materials used for internal coating . 4
4.3 Materials for containers of essential oils for pharmaceutical use . 4
4.3.1 General . 4
4.3.2 Glass . 4
4.3.3 Metals and alloys . 4
4.3.4 Plastics materials . 4
4.3.5 Ceramic, vitrified and enamelled materials, used for internal coatings . 5
4.4 Materials for containers of essential oils for perfumery and cosmetic use . 5
4.5 Materials for containers of reference samples or test samples of essential oils . 5
4.6 Materials for containers of essential oils used as industrial raw materials . 5
5 Pigments or colourings .5
6 Characteristics for containers intended for containing essential oils .5
6.1 Types . 5
6.2 Capacity . 6
6.3 Closures . 6
6.4 External weldings . 6
7 Conditioning and storage . 6
7.1 Conditioning. 6
7.2 Storage . 7
7.3 Special cases . 7
Bibliography . 8
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
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ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use
of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received
notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are
cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all
such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 54, Essential oils.
This first edition cancels and replaces ISO/TS 210:2014, which has been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— addition of Clause 2 (Normative references) and Clause 3 (Terms and definitions);
— revision of the Bibliography.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 210:2023(E)
Essential oils — General requirements and guidelines for
packaging, conditioning and storage
1 Scope
This document describes the requirements for containers which are intended for containing essential
oils. It also provides some general requirements and guidelines relating to the conditioning and storage
of essential oils.
Essential oils are used for different purposes:
— food use;
— pharmaceutical use;
— perfumery and cosmetic use;
— reference samples or test samples;
— industrial raw materials.
It is expected that the containers used for essential oils also meet the requirements of national or
international regulations.
This document describes the materials which are used for the containers intended for containing
essential oils, depending on the uses listed above.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
4 Composition of the containers
4.1 General
Essential oils shall be packed in containers which, by their nature, do not cause alteration of the product
and which protect it against any external attack.
Generally, the container materials shall be inert towards the packed product so as to prevent any
simultaneous damage of the product and of the material.
4.2 Materials for containers of essential oils for food use
4.2.1 Glass
Type III glass (soda-calcic glass, according to Pharmacopoeia standards), is recommended as it permits
[1]
to keep the organoleptic properties of the essential oils .
Tinted non-actinic glass is always advisable.
4.2.2 Metals and alloys
4.2.2.1 Stainless steel
These materials shall contain at least 13 % of chromium.
They also may contain nickel and manganese.
Furthermore, one or more of the following elements in Table 1 may be included, with the following limit
[2]
for each of them .
Table 1 — Maximum content of some elements in stainless steel containers
Element Content
Tantalum 1 % max
Niobium 1 % max
Zirconium 1 % max
Molybdenum 4 % max
Titanium 4 % max
Aluminium 4 % max
Copper 4 % max
4.2.2.2 Aluminium and aluminium alloys
Aluminium shall be at least 99 % pure.
[3][4][5]
The total content of impurities shall not exceed 1 %, and they are limited as shown in Table 2 .
Table 2 — Maximum content of impurities in aluminium containers
Impurities Content
Iron + Silicon Lower than 1 %
Titanium 0,15 % max
Chromium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Magne- 0,1 % max (for each of these elements)
sium, Nickel, Tin
Lead, Thallium, Beryllium, and each of the 0,05 % max (for each of these elements)
other present impurities
Copper Between the mass fraction of 0,10 % and of 0,20 %, on the con-
dition that the chromium and manganese contents are less than
the mass fraction of 0,05 %
In the aluminium alloys, the mass fraction of the elements (in percentage) which may be added, or
which are present as impurities, shall not exceed the following values in Table 3.
Table 3 — Maximum content of impurities in aluminium alloys containers
Impurities Content
Silicon 13,5 % max
Magnesium 11 % max
Manganese 4 % max
Nickel 3 % max
Iron 2 % max
Copper 0,6 % max
Antimony 0,4 % max
Chromium 0,35 % max
Titanium 0,3 % max
Zirconium 0,3 % max
Zinc 0,25 % max
Strontium 0,2 % max
Tin 0,1 % max
Arsenic, Tantalum, Beryllium, Thallium, Lead,
0,05 % max, with a total ≤0,15 %
and each of the other impurities present
The anodization of aluminium or aluminium alloy materials and objects complying with the provisions
of Article 2 and 3 of Reference [3] s
...