Citrus Oils in Perfumery and Cosmetic Products

pf_perfume_thumb_21418

It does not take an anthropological genius or decades of research to surmise that citrus was used long before any written history as either a food or for fragrance value. For those with a passion for written history, it appears that lemon was introduced to Europe by the Arabs around 10 CE. Sweet orange appeared some 500 years later.

Since that time, the world has embraced citrus and has consumed or utilized citrus in grand style. Citrus fruit, juice or peel oils are currently used in everything from food or food preparations, soft drinks, ice cream, candy, pharmaceutical preparations, air fresheners, cleaning products and solvents as well as colognes and fine perfumes. More than 80,000 metric tons of orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, alone, are consumed annually.

Natural Citrus Notes

Table 1 lists the types of citrus oils expressed from the peel of the fruit commercially available to the fragrance and flavor industry. The columns indicate the percentage of major components commonly found in these various oils.

Click to download the complete article.

More in Ingredients