Oil Properties The scent of the oil is basically citrus, yet fruity and sweet, with a warm spicy floral quality and is reminiscent of neroli as well as lavender oil. The colour ranges from green to greenish-yellow and the oil has a watery viscosity. Origin This tree is native to South East Asia, but was introduced to Europe, and particularly Italy and is also found in the Ivory Coast, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Bergamot oil is made from a tree that can grow up to four meters high, with star-shaped flowers and smooth leaves, bearing citrus fruit resembling a cross between an orange and a grapefruit, but in a pear-shape. The fruit ripens from green to yellow. The oil is one of the most widely used in the perfumery and toiletry industry and forms, together with neroli and lavender, the main ingredient for the classical 4711 Eau-de-cologne fragrance. It is used to flavour Earl Grey tea. The name is derived from the city Bergamo in Lombardy, Italy, where the oil was first sold. Extraction The rind of both ripe and unripe fruit is used to extract the oil by expression, which yields about 0.5 %. Chemical Composition The essential oil is composed of various chemical constituents and includes a-pinene, myrcene, limonene, a-bergapten, b-bisabolene, linalool, linalyl acetate, nerol, neryl acetate, geraniol, geraniol acetate and a-terpineol. Precautions Bergamot oil can cause burns when used on a sensitive skin which is then exposed to sunlight, as the high content of bergapten can cause photo-toxicity. It is advisable to keep out of the sun if this oil is used on the skin. Even when the ingredient Bergapten (Furocoumarin) is removed from the oil and photo toxicity is therefore minimized, it is still advisable to keep treated skin out of the sun, and to use it in concentrations of less than 1%.
Essential oil
Supplied in 10ml amber glass bottle with dropper and tamper evident cap.
MSDS & Allergens cert available on request.
