Citrus reticulata steam distilled from the leaves of the orange tree, from Sicily.

Aroma: Petitgrain Essential Oil has a fresh, strong, bitter, floral, citrusy, woody and herbaceous scent that is lighter in fragrance than neroli and slightly woody. It has an intensely sweet, rich, deep-fruity, grapelike floral scent, with a plum-grape-like fruity undertone.

Petitgrain is distilled from the leaves, twigs, and occasionally from the undeveloped fruits of the mandarin tree. After the flowers are picked and distilled the tree is trimmed and this oil is distilled from the leaves and the twigs. It can also be acquired from lemon, lime, clementine, and mandarin trees.

History: Sometimes referred to as 'the poor man's Neroli', and is the classic ingredient in eau de cologne. The Egyptians are said to have created exotic perfume blends using petitgrain oil.

Colour: Pale yellow to Amber

Consistency: Thin

Note: Middle to top

Strength of Aroma: Medium

Common Uses: Aromatherapists have long used Petitgrain to calm anger, relieve stress and assist with insomnia. Petitgrain is widely used in skincare products and as also as a fixative in perfumery. It can be used to clear greasy skin and fight skin blemishes, pimples and acne.

Possible Uses: Acne, fatigue, oily skin, stress. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 56-67.]

Constituents: Linalyl Acetate, Linalol, Nerol, Alpha-Terpineol, Geranyl Acetate, Limonene, Myrcene [Shirley Price, The Aromatherapy Workbook (Hammersmith, London: Thorsons, 1993), 54-5.]

Safety Information: Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand does not indicate any special precautions when using this oil. [Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995), 209.]

Cautions: Generally non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing.

Photo thanks to Jpbrigand2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons