Composition
100% essential oil of Citrus limon. Origin: Italy.
The plant and the oil
Most lemon oil is pressed from the peel, but steam-distilled lemon oil is also sold. The main components of steam-distilled lemon oil include limonene, beta-pinene, gamma-terpinene, geranial and alpha-pinene.[1]
Scent
What it smells like. Steam-distilled lemon oil smells softer, sweeter and less sharply zesty than pressed lemon oil, which is closer to a freshly peeled lemon. Limonene gives the oil its lemony scent.[1]
Where it sits in a blend. It is a top note with a strong initial scent.[1]
What it goes with. In perfumery, pressed lemon oil gives a refreshing, sweet-fruity top note; it blends well with other citrus oils and with lavender, lavandin, elemi, labdanum, petitgrain and neroli.[3]
How to use
Scent a room. Its fresh scent is described as energising and uplifting, and it is a good choice for clearing a room of cigarette smoke or other unpleasant smells.[1] The oil is intended to create a light, cheerful mood.[2]
Make a massage oil. Mix the oil into a carrier oil such as jojoba oil. 1% means 1 ml of lemon oil in 100 ml of blend.
For people aged 15 and over, the recommended share of essential oil in a blend is up to 2% for general wellbeing, but not every day. During an illness, at most 5% is acceptable, and only for a short time.[4]
| Share of lemon oil | Lemon oil in 10 ml of blend | Carrier oil in 10 ml of blend |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 0.05 ml | 9.95 ml |
| 1% | 0.1 ml | 9.9 ml |
| 2% | 0.2 ml | 9.8 ml |
Before the first use, try a little of the blend on a small patch of undamaged skin. If the skin reacts, stop and apply a little vegetable oil or cream.[5]
Add it to a bath. Stir it into a little vegetable oil or a bath gel base first, so that it does not float on the water as undiluted drops.[5][6]
Precautions
- do not swallow it or put it on the skin undiluted;[7]
- keep it away from the eyes;[5]
- keep the bottle out of the reach of children.[5]
- Pressed lemon oil makes the skin sensitive to sunlight (it is phototoxic); steam-distilled lemon oil, like this one, is not.[1]
- Lemon oil may irritate the skin in some people, and it should not be used on the skin once it has oxidised.[1]
- Citrus oils are rich in limonene, which oxidises easily, and heat speeds this up. The oxidation products raise the risk of a skin allergy, so keep the bottle cool and closed. An oxidised oil smells less fresh, and citrus oils sometimes turn cloudy.[8]
- People with asthma should try the scent carefully at first: fragrances, natural ones included, can make the condition worse.[9]
- In pregnancy, use it on the skin only well diluted, at 1 to 2%.[10]
- Premature babies get no essential oils on the skin, and babies up to 3 months old get at most 0.1%.[4]
- Older children, too, need much weaker blends than adults.[4]
- The oil burns easily: keep it away from candles and flames.[5]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 AromaWeb, Lemon Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vivasan, product packaging of Lemon Messina (E 115).
- ↑ Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Lemon Oil.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Guidelines to IFPA Members Treating Babies and Children. Revised August 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), Safety. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Tisserand Institute, Safety guidelines. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Statement on Internal and Undiluted Use of Essential Oils. November 2019.
- ↑ Robert Tisserand, Lemon on the rocks: keep your essential oils cool. 26 July 2013.
- ↑ Robert Tisserand, Proof of Safety: Challenges Facing Essential Oil Therapy. AIA Conference 2007.
- ↑ International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Pregnancy and Lactation Guidelines. Revised August 2021.