Essential Branch

Citrus essential oil

Bergamot

Citrus bergamia

A woven basket filled with green and yellow bergamot fruits and a few of their leaves.
A woven basket filled with green and yellow bergamot fruits and a few of their leaves. Photo: Jacopo Werther, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bergamot is a small, sour citrus grown mainly in Calabria in southern Italy, and its peel oil smells softer and more floral than lemon or orange. It is a classic in perfumery and is often chosen for evening and calming blends, where it pairs well with lavender, geranium and woods. Small studies suggest inhaled bergamot may help some people feel more relaxed, though the evidence is limited. Pressed bergamot is the most phototoxic oil in this collection because of a compound called bergapten, so keep it at very low levels on skin or choose a furocoumarin-free (FCF) version.

Safety at a glance

  • Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
  • Children From age 2
  • Dogs Use with caution
  • Cats Avoid
  • Sunlight Phototoxic on skin
  • On skin Up to 0.4%

Reference

Botanical name Citrus bergamia
Plant family Rutaceae
Plant part Fruit peel
Extraction cold pressing
Main origins Italy and Côte d'Ivoire
Aroma family Citrus
Note Top note
Aroma Citrus with a soft floral, slightly peppery lift
Main constituents limonene, linalyl acetate, linalool, gamma-terpinene and bergapten (pressed oil only)
Common uses calm, uplifting, sleep and perfume
Suggested maximum on skin 0.4% of the blend
Phototoxic Yes: keep treated skin out of strong sunlight
Shelf life once opened 1 to 2 years
Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
Children From age 2
Dogs Use with caution
Cats Avoid
Safety notes Pressed bergamot is strongly phototoxic: the IFRA citrus standard caps its phototoxic compounds in leave-on skin products, which Tisserand and Young put at 0.4% for bergamot oil. Furocoumarin-free (FCF) bergamot is not phototoxic, though it can still oxidise. Citrus oils are on Pet Poison Helpline's list of oils toxic to cats.

Blends well with

Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Sleep, Essential Oil Blends for Calm

Sources

  1. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
  2. IFRA Standard: Citrus oils and other furocoumarins containing essential oils (Amendment 49), International Fragrance Association (IFRA)
  3. Citrus bergamia essential oil: from basic research to clinical application (Navarra et al., 2015), PubMed Central (NIH)
  4. Updates on essential oils, Pet Poison Helpline