Essential Branch

Citrus essential oil

Grapefruit

Citrus × paradisi

A whole red grapefruit beside a halved one and a single peeled segment on a pale background.
A whole red grapefruit beside a halved one and a single peeled segment on a pale background. Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0

Grapefruit oil is pressed from the peel of Citrus × paradisi and smells tart, juicy and a little bitter, like the fruit itself. It is a favourite top note for focus and fresh-home blends and works well with mint, rosemary and juniper. Its phototoxic risk is lower than that of bergamot, lemon or lime, but it is still enough that skin blends should stay at or below the limit given here, or go on skin that will stay covered. Like other citrus oils it is mostly limonene, so it fades and oxidises faster than most and is best used within a year or two.

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 4%

Reference

Botanical name Citrus × paradisi
Plant family Rutaceae
Plant part Fruit peel
Extraction cold pressing
Main origins United States, Israel and South Africa
Aroma family Citrus
Note Top note
Aroma Tart, juicy and gently bitter
Main constituents limonene, myrcene, alpha-pinene, sabinene and nootkatone
Common uses focus, uplifting, fresh air and cleaning
Suggested maximum on skin 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 grapefruit is mildly phototoxic: NAHA rates the risk as low, but IFRA and Tisserand and Young still set a limit, so we keep 4% for skin that will see the sun, or 24 hours of covering above that. Citrus oils are on Pet Poison Helpline's list of oils toxic to cats.

Blends well with

Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Focus

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. Safety, National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA)
  4. Updates on essential oils, Pet Poison Helpline