In short
Distilled lime oil is steam-distilled from whole crushed limes. It is softer, rounder and sweeter than the expressed peel oil, and it is the lime of cola flavours.
What Lime Oil (Distilled) smells like
A perfumery glossary describes distilled lime as softer and rounder than cold-pressed lime, its profile dominated by gamma- and alpha-terpineol, while the expressed oil is darker, richer and more complex with its peel bitterness intact. Hermitage Oils notes it is easier to use in perfumery and compares it to lime-flavoured confectionery; reviewers on Eden Botanicals find it less bitter and more overt, some of them closer to a cleaning product than the expressed oil.
- Leading note
- Soft lime
- Supporting facets
- Sweet, round
- Character
- Soft, bright
What makes Lime Oil (Distilled) distinctive
Lime without the peel's bitterness or phototoxicity: the flavourist's lime.
Where the descriptions disagree: Some reviewers find it closer to a household cleaner than to fresh lime.
How Lime Oil (Distilled) is used
Used for a soft lime in colas, colognes and fresh citrus accords, where it is easier to handle than the expressed oil.
Typical role: lift (adds diffusion and radiance, especially at the top).
How Lime Oil (Distilled) differs from similar materials
- Lime Oil (Expressed)
- Expressed lime oil keeps the peel's bitterness and a sharper green edge; distilled lime is softer, rounder and sweeter, and not phototoxic. (compared directly by a cited source)
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Shares its CAS number with expressed lime oil, so none is given here. Distillation removes the furocoumarins that make expressed lime phototoxic.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Citrus / Green
- Note position
- Top note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Distilled lime oil
- Botanical source
- Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle
No CAS number is shown: suppliers use different identifiers for this material, and none could be confirmed as its own.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Lime Oil (Expressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Green — citrus, green, zesty, aromatic
-
Lemon Oil (Cold-Pressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Aldehydic — citrus, sharp, zesty, juicy
-
Litsea Cubeba Oil
Essential oil · Citrus / Fruity — lemon, sweet, fruity, fresh
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 36 published formulas
Lime Oil (Distilled) is an ingredient in 35 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Lime Oil (Distilled)
Is Lime Oil (Distilled) natural or synthetic?
Lime Oil (Distilled) is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.
Which published formulas use Lime Oil (Distilled)?
Lime Oil (Distilled) is used in 36 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Agar Lantern, Ambrette Halo and Bell Glass. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- Premiere Peau — Lime — published perfumery reference.
- Hermitage Oils — Lime Distilled Essential Oil — distributor's description.
- Eden Botanicals — Lime, Distilled — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.