Cold-pressed from the peel of Citrus limon. Fresh, sharp and sherbet-clean — one of the few smells that everyone recognises instantly and almost nobody dislikes.
Note the method: expressed, not distilled. The oil is squeezed mechanically out of the peel rather than steam-distilled, which is why it smells so much like the fruit itself — and why it carries the furocoumarins that make it phototoxic.
Phototoxicity — the practical rules
Cold-pressed lemon oil contains furocoumarins, which react with ultraviolet light and can cause a burn or lasting brown pigmentation where the oil was.
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Keep it at or below 2 per cent on skin that will see daylight — about 12 drops in 30 ml of carrier oil.
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Avoid sun and sunbeds for at least 12 hours after applying it to skin.
- Diffusion and household use are not phototoxic. The risk is oil on skin plus UV.
- A steam-distilled lemon oil exists and is not phototoxic, but it smells noticeably less like a lemon.
What an essential oil may and may not claim
Lemon oil is commonly sold on the promise that "during cold-and-flu season it lends a hand to a healthy immune system" and that diffused it "lifts the mood". Neither appears here.
Referring to colds and flu makes a medicinal claim, which no cosmetic or aromatic product may make under EU law. "Supports a healthy immune system" is a health claim, none is authorised for any essential oil, and the phrase has no defined meaning in any case. And a claim to lift mood is a claim about a psychological state.
Here is the honest version, which we think is better: a room that smells clean and bright is a nicer room to be in, and lemon does that as well as anything on earth. No further justification is needed.
What it is genuinely good for
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Household cleaning. This is where lemon oil earns its place. A few drops in a vinegar-and-water surface spray, in a bicarbonate scrub, or on a cloth in the bin. Limonene is also a real solvent — lemon oil will lift sticky label residue and adhesive better than most things in the cupboard.
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Diffusion. A few drops, ventilated room, twenty to thirty minutes. It blends with almost everything — rosemary, lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, cedarwood, ginger.
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Do not use it on unsealed wood, painted surfaces or plastics — that same solvent action strips finishes and clouds plastic.
Storage — this matters for citrus
Lemon oil is mostly limonene, which oxidises fast, and oxidised citrus oil is a skin sensitiser where fresh oil is not. Cap on tight, cool and dark — the fridge is genuinely a good place — and replace it about a year after opening.
Safety — the essentials
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Never swallow essential oils without the direct supervision of a qualified health professional. Lemon oil is not a substitute for a slice of lemon in water and should never be used as one.
- Keep out of reach of children, in the original bottle with the child-resistant cap.
- Not around babies, young children, pregnant women or pets — cats especially.
- In eyes: flush with plain vegetable oil rather than water.
- Accident or swallowing: in Portugal call CIAV on 800 250 250 — free, 24 hours. In an emergency, 112.
Propos'Nature
Propos'Nature
Propos'Nature
