Essential Branch

Citrus essential oil

Citronella

Cymbopogon nardus, Cymbopogon winterianus

A dense clump of tall, narrow green citronella grass blades growing upright.
A dense clump of tall, narrow green citronella grass blades growing upright. Photo: Mokkie, CC BY-SA 4.0

Citronella essential oil is steam distilled from the leaves of a grass, Cymbopogon nardus or Cymbopogon winterianus, in the Poaceae family. Its aroma is citrusy, slightly fruity, fresh and sweet, and it sits as a top note in a blend. People often choose it for freshening the air, for home cleaning and for an uplifting scent, and it pairs well with lemon, sweet orange, geranium, lavender and cedarwood. The safety point that matters most is a flagged risk of interaction with some medicines, so if you take any regularly, check with a pharmacist before using it. It is not phototoxic, and the suggested skin maximum is 18.2% of the blend.

Safety at a glance

  • Pregnancy Use with caution
  • Children From age 2
  • Dogs Generally well tolerated
  • Cats Use with caution
  • Sunlight Not phototoxic
  • On skin Up to 18.2%

Reference

Botanical name Cymbopogon nardus, Cymbopogon winterianus
Plant family Poaceae
Plant part Leaves (grass)
Extraction steam distillation
Main origins Not given in the references we use
Aroma family Citrus
Note Top note
Aroma Fresh, sweet lemony grass with a fruity edge
Main constituents citronellal, geraniol, citronellol, limonene and (E)-methyl isoeugenol
Common uses fresh air, cleaning and uplifting
Suggested maximum on skin 18.2% of the blend
Phototoxic No
Shelf life once opened 2 to 3 years
Pregnancy Use with caution
Children From age 2
Dogs Generally well tolerated
Cats Use with caution
Safety notes Tisserand and Young suggest a skin maximum of 18.2% and flag a risk of interaction with some medicines, so check with a pharmacist if you take any regularly. It is not on the IFPA pregnancy list, so pregnancy stays at caution. Pet poison lines do not flag the oil, but cats process many oil compounds slowly, so diffuse briefly and let them leave the room.

Blends well with

Sources

  1. Citronella Essential Oil, AromaWeb. Accessed October 26, 2026
  2. Essential oil shelf life (Robert Tisserand's guideline), AromaWeb. Accessed October 26, 2026