What are the Different Types of Citrus Essential Oil?

Citrus essential oil is often part of clean, uplifting scents that are used all year round, but are quite popular in the summer months. Citrus essential oil can be extracted from nearly any citrus fruit, but most commonly comes from the bergamot orange. Other types of citrus essential oil are made from oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and tangerines.

In addition to being used to scent Lady Grey tea and Earl Grey tea, the essential oil that is extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange has been used in fragrance blends for centuries. It is still quite common today and is used in perfumes, lotions, and balms. Citrus essential oil from bergamot oranges also is used for products to scent the home such as diffusers and candles.

Some of these types of citrus essential oil also have subtypes. For example, there are a number of kinds of citrus essential oil that are made from oranges. One is a distinct citrus essential oil that comes from mandarin oranges. In addition to the list of oils from the orange family, there are sweet orange essential oil and bitter orange essential oil.

Furthermore, neroli oil comes from the distillation of the blossoms of an orange tree. Neroli oil is the most expensive of all of the essential oils that come from the citrus family. Petitgrain essential oil is also a citrus essential oil that comes from the orange tree. It is made from a distillation of the leaves of the orange tree. Sometimes twigs and even branches are added into the mixture that is used for distillation.

Citrus essential oil that comes from grapefruits, limes, and lemons are more straightforward and do not contain as many subcategories as the family of essential oils that come from oranges. Also, there is not a wide range of prices as there is with the oils that come from oranges. Citrus essential oil that comes from grapefruits, limes, and lemons can usually be purchased for less than $10 USD (US Dollars) for one ounce (about 30 milliliters). Sweet orange oil and bitter orange oil are comparable in price to the oils that come from the other citrus fruits listed above. Neroli oil, on the other hand, can easily be three times as expensive.

When using any kind of citrus essential oil, it is important to remember that these oils can create photosensitivity in the skin. This means that skin that has been exposed to the oil — or a product containing the oil — should be shielded from direct sunlight. If the oil is significantly diluted, this is less of a concern.