LemonDESCRIPTION

Botany: Citrus limon is a small evergreen tree with very fragrant flowers and stiff thorns, which can grow up to 6 m high.

Parts used are the peel as well as the leaves and twigs together with undeveloped fruits.

Products: Lemon oil is produced from the leaves and twigs, sometimes including undeveloped small fruits by steam distillation. Lemon oil contains about 90% monoterpene hydrocarbons, composed mainly of limonene (ca. 70%), with lesser amounts of γ-terpinene, β-pinene, sabinene, α-pinene, and myrcene; 2-6% aldehydes (mainly citral, neral and geranial); alcohols and esters (linalool, geraniol, etc.); small amounts of sequiterpene; waxes; and 0.41%-0.87% coumarin.

Some components in the waxes have been reported to have antioxidant properties.

USES

Used as a fragrance ingredient in soaps, detergents, creams, lotions, and perfumes. Lemon petitgrain oil is used in creams, lotions, and perfumes.

Citrus medica limonum essential oil
Refreshing, revitalizing and stimulating. This oil is used wherever a fresh and invigorating property is needed in foam baths, shower gels or massage oils. Lemon oil is stimulating, calming, carminative, astringent, detoxifying, antiseptic, disinfectant, sleep inducing and has antifungal properties.

TOXICOLOGY

Lemon oil has been reported to have phototoxic effects, most likely due to its coumarins.

Lemon petitgrain oil is non-irritating, non-sensitising and non-phototoxic to human skin.

ESSENTIQ PRODUCTS CONTAINING LEMON

Facial care

Hair care