Lemon peel oil gives our lemongrass all-purpose cleaner its sharp note. Before the allergen details, a fair question: what about sunlight?
Contains added scent. Prefer none? Our Fragrance-Free All-Purpose Refill and Spray Kit have no fragrance or essential oils.
Quick facts
- What it is: Lemon peel oil (Citrus limon peel oil), labeled Lemon Oil
- Its job: Fragrance only
- Where it comes from: Lemon peel, recovered by juice plants as a by-product (Goodrich & Braddock, 2006)
- EPA Safer Choice: Not on its ingredients list
- CAS number: 8008-56-8
Is lemon oil a sun-sensitivity risk in a cleaner?
Cold-pressed lemon oil can contain furocoumarins such as bergapten, which can cause sunburn-like skin reactions in sunlight. Distilled lemon oil carries almost none (Tisserand & Young, 2014).
Industry standards cap it at 2% only in leave-on products for sun-exposed skin, not rinse-off products or surface cleaners (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, 2014). Easy habit: rinse cleaner off skin before heading outside. More on bergapten: bergamot oil.
Citral: the sharp note, and the allergen to know
Lemon oil is mostly d-limonene plus citral, which gives it that sharp note. Citral can sensitize skin as is, limonene mainly once air-oxidized (Tisserand & Young, 2014).
In human tests, lemon oil caused no irritation at up to 20%, and under 2.5% of 250 people with dermatitis reacted to it at 2% (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, 2014). At a Dutch clinic, 9.4% of 821 consecutive dermatitis patients reacted to oxidized limonene (Dittmar & Schuttelaar, 2019). The patients were referred, and no test used our cleaner.
EU cosmetics labels must name limonene and citral above 0.001% (leave-on) or 0.01% (rinse-off), and since 2023 lemon oil too (European Parliament & Council of the European Union, 2009; European Commission, 2023). Reacting to scents? Check labels for all three names.
Safer Choice judges fragrances under separate criteria (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.-a, n.d.-b). See how we vet ingredients.
Handling and safety
- Undiluted essential oils can irritate skin and eyes. Each tablet holds a little, diluted in water.
- Store unused tablets packaged and out of reach. They can look like candy.
- The ASPCA lists the lemon plant, not our cleaner, as toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, n.d.-b). Keep pets away until surfaces dry. Never apply cleaner to an animal.
- We have not measured dried residue, so wipe high chair trays with a damp cloth.
If something goes wrong
- Eyes or skin: rinse well with water. Call your doctor if irritation continues.
- Swallowed: call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (America's Poison Centers, n.d.).
- Pet ate a tablet or cleaner: call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control, (888) 426-4435, fee may apply (ASPCA, n.d.-a).
Where you will find it
Our Lemongrass blend (lemongrass, orange, lemon, ylang ylang and patchouli oils), for all-purpose cleaning.
See all our ingredients →
Sources
- America's Poison Centers. (n.d.). [Homepage]. https://poisoncenters.org/
- ASPCA. (n.d.-a). ASPCA Poison Control. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
- ASPCA. (n.d.-b). Lemon. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/lemon
- Cosmetic Ingredient Review. (2014). Safety assessment of citrus-derived peel oils as used in cosmetics (Final report). https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/cpeelo092014FR.pdf
- Dittmar, D., & Schuttelaar, M. L. A. (2019). Contact sensitization to hydroperoxides of limonene and linalool: Results of consecutive patch testing and clinical relevance. Contact Dermatitis, 80(2), 101-109. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.13137
- European Commission. (2023). Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products. Official Journal of the European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1545/oj
- European Parliament & Council of the European Union. (2009). Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products. Official Journal of the European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1223/oj
- Goodrich, R. M., & Braddock, R. J. (2006). Major by-products of the Florida citrus processing industry (FSHN05-22). University of Florida IFAS Extension. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fs107-2006
- Tisserand, R., & Young, R. (2014). Essential oil safety: A guide for health care professionals (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingstone.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.-a). Safer Chemical Ingredients List. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-ingredients
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.-b). Safer Choice criteria for fragrances. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-choice-criteria-fragrances
