Lemon essential oil: a fresh, zesty scent for the whole home

Opening a bottle of lemon oil is a bit like grating the zest of a ripe fruit: the kitchen, living room or office instantly fills with a fresh, sparkling scent. This versatile essential oil fits into your diffuser, your homemade cleaning products and some cosmetic routines.

What is lemon essential oil?

The lemon tree, Citrus limon, belongs to the citrus family (Rutaceae), alongside orange, mandarin and bergamot. Unlike most essential oils, citrus oils are usually not distilled: they are obtained by cold-pressing the peel, where tiny pockets of essence are found.

According to the product sheet, our lemon oil does indeed come from the expressed part, the pericarp (the peel), and is sold in a 10 ml bottle. The same sheet states that using it requires the advice of a specialist. To see where citrus oils sit among the main aromatic families, have a look at our sheet on essential oil families.

How to use it

Our drugstore team sees three uses: diffusion, cleaning and cosmetics.

Diffusion: fresh, invigorating air

• Add a few drops to the diffuser in the morning or while you work for an invigorating atmosphere.
• Diffuse for 15 to 20 minutes, then switch off and air the room.
• Lemon goes well with green notes (mint, basil) as well as woody ones.

Natural cleaning

• Add around ten drops to a spray bottle of white vinegar diluted with water: the vinegar smell fades behind the lemon.
• Shake before each use, as oil does not mix with water.
• Test on a small area first: marble, waxed wood and some plastics do not cope well with citrus oils and vinegar.

Cosmetics

In skincare, lemon is always used diluted – for instance one drop in a single dose of cream or body wash, after a patch test in the crook of your elbow. Apply it in the evening if you can.

Precautions

Sun and citrus do not mix. Cold-pressed citrus oils are photosensitising: do not expose skin you have applied them to to sunlight or UV in the hours that follow. Never neat on the skin, never swallowed, never in the eyes. During pregnancy, breastfeeding, for children or if you are on medication, ask for advice before use. Citrus essences deteriorate in contact with air: close the bottle tightly and keep it somewhere cool, out of the reach of children.

Our products

• Lemon (Citrus limon), 10 ml – expressed from the pericarp; the product sheet and its documentation tab set out the conditions of use.

Before you start

Lemon may well be the easiest essential oil to love, but its sensitivity to sunlight and to air deserves attention. To put together your cleaning spray or room blend, ask the team at Droguerie Perusset for advice on your next visit.