Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil

Adam Michael has this to say “The aroma of lemon myrtle essential oil takes me back to childhood as it reminds me of opening a pack of opal fruits on my way home from school, all the flavours bursting from the wrappers, tart lemons, sharp tangy limes, soft oranges, even some berry facets. Childhood memories aside the aroma is essentially a may chang, lemon zesty, fruity affair, with very noticeable lemongrass and citronella bite. Within perfumery adds maturity and weight to lemon materials, I also find it pairs very well with waxy and tangy citrus materials, aldehyde C8, C10, lemon, lime, yuzu ect.

Also for the hobbyist it is worth exploring lemon myrtle for its insect repellent use, when we get a decent Summer here in England it features in the insect repellent candles my partner makes. Extracted by steam distilling the leaves, deep yellow in colour and of a pourable viscosity. The major constituent is citral, which accounts for over 80% of lemon myrtle essential oil. Lemon myrtle originates from the Australian rainforest and was given the botanical name Backhousia citriodora in 1853 after the English botanist, James Backhouse. The common name also reflects the strong sweet lemon smell of the crushed leaves. It is often mistakenly called “lemon ironbark” which is actually eucalyptus staigeriana.”

Botanical Name: Backhousia citriodora

Origin: Australia