Steam-distilled from the leaves of Myrtus communis, organically grown. 10 ml in dark glass. Fresh, clean and gently camphoraceous — recognisably in the same family as eucalyptus but rounder, sweeter and considerably less aggressive.
Red myrtle and green myrtle are not the same oil
Worth knowing, because the two are sold side by side and behave differently. Myrtle grows all round the Mediterranean, and the oil distilled from it varies with where the plant grew:
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Red myrtle — the North African type, and what this is — is rich in 1,8-cineole, the same molecule that dominates eucalyptus. Sharper, more opening, more camphorous.
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Green myrtle — typically Corsican — is rich in myrtenyl acetate instead. Softer, sweeter, more herbaceous.
They smell different and they carry different cautions. If a recipe or a practitioner specifies one, the other is not a substitute.
Because it is a cineole oil, this matters
Do not apply it to the face, nose or chest of a baby or a young child, and do not diffuse it where one is sleeping. In infants and small children, cineole-rich oils can trigger laryngospasm — a sudden closing of the airway — and there are documented cases of serious harm. Red myrtle is milder than eucalyptus in smell; it is not milder in this respect. Keep it away from young children.
If you have asthma, be careful with diffusion — strong aromatic vapour triggers bronchospasm in some people.
What an essential oil may and may not claim
Red myrtle is commonly described as "a lovely choice for clear, easy breathing", as soothing "the tension that often comes with seasonal congestion", and as helping to "lift a low mood". None of that appears here.
Claims about breathing and congestion are medicinal claims, which a cosmetic or aromatic product may not make under EU law, and a claim to lift low mood is a claim about a mental health condition — which is more serious still. No health claim is authorised for any essential oil.
What we can honestly say: it smells clean, bright and green, it is one of the gentlest of the camphorous oils, and it blends beautifully with citrus, rosemary and cypress. That is why to buy it.
How to use it
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Diffusion: a few drops in an ultrasonic diffuser, in a ventilated room, twenty to thirty minutes at a time rather than all day. Not around babies, young children, pregnant women or pets — cats especially.
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On skin: always diluted, one to two per cent in a carrier oil (roughly 6–12 drops in 30 ml). Never neat.
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Patch test on the inner forearm and wait 24 hours.
Safety — the essentials
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Never swallow essential oils without the direct supervision of a qualified health professional.
- Keep out of reach of children, in the original bottle with its child-resistant cap.
- Away from eyes — if it gets in, flush with plain vegetable oil, not water.
- Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding unless a health professional says otherwise.
- Accident or swallowing: in Portugal call CIAV on 800 250 250 — free, 24 hours. In an emergency, 112.
Storage
Cool, dark, tightly closed, upright. Oxidised essential oil irritates skin more than fresh oil does — keep the cap on and use it within a couple of years of opening.
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