Lemon Aid
Lemon Oil
Latin Name: Citrus Limon
Nadim A. Shaath, Ph.D. and Mona Shaath
Alpha Research & Development, Ltd.
The common lemon is a small citrus fruit with uncommonly powerful effects. Once the lemon was only to be found in Asia and parts of the Middle East and spread slowly by trade. The fruit was probably first introduced to the West during the era of the Crusades. Next the lemon’s sphere of influence spread ever farther; it is said that Christopher Columbus brought the seeds of lemons with him on his voyage to the new world. Lemons have been tasted in every corner of the globe and their benefits and fragrance are now world-renowned.
Lemon Oil is produced by expression of the lemon peel. It is a pale yellow liquid with a fresh, light scent more similar to the odor of the peel or zest than of the juice. In perfumery, the lemon oil top note has become synonymous with a reliably refreshing and clean, fragrant addition. But lemon oil is most known for its cutting properties, it is an astringent used widely to balance out oily skin tones and to disinfect while aiding in the healing process of minor cuts and abrasions. Proponents of the lemon hold that the lemon can be used to treat arthritis and that it is an anti-bacterial and an anti-oxidant.
Our common knowledge can confirm the importance of this little yellow fruit and its active oil. Lemons taste sour and strong; any small baby’s puckered reaction to their first taste of a lemon will verify that to be true. Lemons and their extracts have been used as aids to beauty, cleanliness and healing for millennia. They were recognized as essential to maintaining good health on ships and used as a sailor’s first defense against scurvy. Today we use lemon to cut the fishy taste of fish and burn citronella candles with lemon oil as an insecticide to keep the mosquitoes away. Commonly held, positive assumptions about lemons and their oils make them a particularly smart choice when designing formulations for the personal care market. Lemons are known and tried and true; they represent a little slice of familiarity on the toiletries shelves.
Lemon oil is produced from the fruit either through extraction or through steam distillation. The most important regions for lemon oil are California, Italy and Argentina (called Tucuman). Below is the analysis of the components in all three types of lemon oils.
GC-MS ANALYSIS OF LEMON OIL
CONSTITUENTS / CALIFORNIA / ITALY /ARGENTINA
alpha-THUJENE / 0.37 / 0.39 / 0.36alpha-PINENE / 1.72 / 1.82 / 1.75
CAMPHENE / 0.05 / 0.05 / 0.05
SABINENE / 1.86 / 2.01 / 2.02
beta-PINENE / 11.35 / 12.47 / 11.97
MYRCENE / 1.50 / 1.46 / 1.49
alpha-TERPINENE / 0.13 / 0.12 / 0.14
para-CYMENE / 0.48 / 0.49 / 0.19
LIMONENE / 69.63 / 67.15 / 68.66
EUCALYPTOL / 0.12 / 0.14
gamma-TERPINENE / 8.08 / 8.55 / 8.17
TERPINOLENE / 0.33 / 0.34 / 0.34
NONANAL / 0.08 / 0.09 / 0.03
LINALOOL / 0.08 / 0.12 / 0.01
trans-beta-TERPINEOL / 0.04 / 0.07 / 0.05
TERPINEN-4-OL / Trace / 0.03 / 0.01
alpha-TERPINEOL / 0.10 / 0.16 / 0.16
DECANAL / 0.03 / 0.03
NERAL / 0.68 / 0.72 / 0.71
GERANIAL / 1.18 / 1.22 / 1.19
TERPNYL ACETATE / 0.01 / 0.02
NERYL ACETATE / 0.32 / 0.40 / 0.43
GERANYL ACETATE / 0.22 / 0.34 / 0.23
beta-CARYOPHYLLENE / 0.21 / 0.19 / 0.19
trans-alpha-BERGAMOTENE / 0.34 / 0.35 / 0.33
SESQUITERPENES / 0.19 / 0.23
beta-BISABOLENE / 0.53 / 0.52 / 0.49
TOTAL: / 99.29 / 99.42 / 99.37
SUMMARY
Latin:
Citrus Limon
Family:
Rutaceae
Description:
Cultivated in Italy, California, Florida and Argentina as well. Lemon oil is used extensively in cosmetic and skin care preparations. Medicinally it is a powerful bactericide.
Extraction:
Cold expression from the peel or through steam distillation
Key Uses:
Skin Care
Disinfectant
Safety Information:
Phototoxic and can irritate sensitive skin. Dilute well.
Properties:
Antiseptic, Anti-spasmodic, Anti-viral, Astringent, Anti-bacterial, Diuretic, Hypotensive, Tonic, Anti-parasitic, Calmative, Carminative, Anti-anemic, Anti-rheumatic, Anti-microbial, Insecticide, Hepatic, Digestive, Antioxidant
Main Chemical Constituents:
limonene, beta-pinene, gamma-terpinene and citral
(see analysis table).