Lemon Verbena Oil FAQ: Your Top Questions Answered

Lemon verbena oil raises the same handful of questions again and again, and most have short answers. Here they are in one place, with links to the longer articles when you want the detail.

Lemon Verbena Essential Oil

Our own Lemon Verbena Essential Oil, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $12.99

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The plant and the oil

What plant does it come from?

The shrub Aloysia citrodora, in the Verbenaceae family. Older books and regulations call it Lippia citriodora or Aloysia triphylla, as the European Medicines Agency's monograph lists. Our oil is steam-distilled from the leaves. Our name mix-ups article sorts it from vervain, lemongrass and lemon balm.

Why is it so scarce?

The leaves give up very little oil. Dried Ecuadorian leaf gave 0.18% by a two-hour distillation, and commercial dried Portuguese leaf gave 1.05% by classic distillation and 1.29% by a microwave method. Even the generous figure means about 77 pounds of dry leaf per pound of oil, and the lowest means roughly 556 pounds (our arithmetic). For current prices, see the shop page. The yield article goes through it.

Rules and safety

Is it restricted anywhere?

As a fragrance ingredient, yes. IFRA's Standard says verbena oils "should not be used as a fragrance ingredient, based on its sensitizing and phototoxic potential," and a 2009 EU directive keeps verbena essential oils other than the absolute off the permitted list for cosmetics. Our IFRA article reads the text.

A sunny bathroom windowsill with a sun hat, a small clear glass bottle of body oil with its cap on and a sprig of lemon

How many drops make 0.5% to 2%?

Our skin dilution guidance is 0.5% to 2% in a carrier oil, patch test first, which is roughly 3 to 12 drops per ounce of carrier on the 20-drops-per-ml convention. We start at the low end and would not call 2% safe, because IFRA's citral Standard caps citral at 0.15% in body oils and lotions. If an oil is 34.0% citral, that ceiling is about 0.44% oil, around 2.6 drops per ounce; at 47.8%, about 0.31%, or 1.8 drops. Those are example oils, not our batch (arithmetic). The body oil article works it through.

What about children, pregnancy and pets?

Our advice is to keep the oil away from all three. The EMA says use of the leaf as a tea in children has not been established and that pregnancy and lactation use is not recommended for lack of data. Ask a paediatrician, an OB/GYN or midwife, or a veterinarian as appropriate, and see our safety guide.

Can I use it in food or tea?

No, ours is for external use. The leaf is the food ingredient; see our ingestion article.

Smell and everyday use

What does it smell like?

We describe it as sparkling, sweet and lemony over a soft herbal-floral heart. Open the bottle and you will notice that it is brighter and rounder than the peel of a lemon, with less of the sharp, acidic bite. Give it a moment after the first sniff, because the green, leafy side tends to show up second.

Where does it fit in a scent?

It sits in the top to middle of a fragrance, so it makes a lively opening and fades a little faster than a woody base. Perfume makers often pair it with soft florals and woods, and we list neroli, lavender, geranium, cedarwood and sandalwood as blends that work well. We sell only the lemon verbena oil, so the partners come from a perfumery or craft supplier.

How should I handle it day to day?

Treat it like any concentrated aromatic: cap it right away, keep it cool and dark, and wipe drips off the bottle neck so the cap does not stick. If you work with it often, decanting a little into a smaller airtight bottle keeps the main supply from taking in fresh air every time.

Is it a strong scent?

It carries well for such a small amount, so start with less than you think you need. A single drop on a cotton pad will scent a small room corner, and you can always add another after a few minutes, once your nose has settled.

Buying and keeping

What does the Certificate of Analysis show?

The certificate we publish for one batch lists appearance, smell, a relative density of 0.869 and a refractive index of 1.472, each within the standard it prints. If you need GC-MS or citral data, ask us in writing through the contact page before ordering, and keep the answer in writing. Our label and GC-MS article explains what to look for.

Blending partners on a pale table: a few orange blossoms (neroli), a pink rose

How long does a bottle last?

Typically 1 to 2 years kept tightly capped in a cool, dark place. Note the date you open it. Oxidation takes quality down gradually, and a bottle that smells flat or sour is past use on skin. Our storage article has the detail.