Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil is a therapeutic-grade oil steam-distilled from the leaves of Backhousia citriodora, an Australian native tree presenting as a light yellow liquid. Lemon Myrtle is the world’s most concentrated natural source of citral (geranial + neral, 90–98%) — significantly higher than lemon oil or lemongrass oil — giving it an intensely fresh, sweet, clean lemon aroma far more potent and pure than actual lemon oil. This extraordinary citral concentration delivers exceptional antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, making Lemon Myrtle one of the most powerful natural antimicrobial essential oils available.
Applications:
- Natural Antimicrobial (cleaning products, surface disinfectants, hand sanitiser formulations)
- Aromatherapy (uplifting, energising, mentally clarifying diffuser blends)
- Personal Care (deodorants, antimicrobial body care, freshening formulations)
- Fine Fragrance (intensely clean, sweet lemon note — superior to lemon oil in perfumery)
Key Features & Benefits:
- Light yellow – world’s highest natural citral concentration essential oil
- No animal substance – suitable for vegan and Halal-compliant formulations
- Exceptionally potent antimicrobial and antifungal from ultra-high citral
- Cleaner, sweeter lemon aroma superior to lemon oil for fragrance use
- Australian botanical with premium clean-label positioning
Citral content means restricted use on skin
Lemon myrtle oil (Backhousia citriodora) is valued because it is almost entirely citral, the mixture of geranial and neral that gives lemon its character. The same fact sets its limits: citral is a recognised skin sensitiser, a declarable fragrance allergen, and restricted by IFRA by product category, so an oil that is mostly citral can only be used at low levels in leave-on skin products. The finished-product safety assessment and the IFRA certificate decide the ceiling; high citral content is an advantage for odour strength, not for dosage.
Stability
Citral is unstable. It degrades in acidic products, with light and with oxygen, losing its fresh lemon note and forming off-odours, and it can react in some bases. Store the oil sealed, full, cool and dark, and test odour stability in the actual base, especially in low-pH products.
Alternatives and comparisons
Other citral sources include Lemongrass Oil and Litsea cubeba (may chang); Lemon Oil carries only a few percent citral with limonene as the bulk. The choice depends on odour, price and the allowed citral level in the finished product.
What to ask for on the certificate of analysis
- Species (Backhousia citriodora) and plant part (leaves)
- GC profile with geranial, neral and total citral quantified
- Physical constants: relative density, refractive index
- Declarable fragrance allergens (citral and others present) and a current IFRA certificate
- Country of origin, batch number and date of manufacture
- Food or cosmetic grade, matching the end use
