Limonene

Other Name(s):

D-Limonene; L-Limonene; CAS#: 138-86-3

Limonene is a naturally occurring compound found in many fruits, herbs, spices and flowers. It’s found in highest concentrations in citrus (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, bergamot) but is also found in peppermint, rosemary, lavender, myrrh and nutmeg.

Is Limonene Faithful to Nature?

Depends.

Limonene is a naturally occurring part of many essential oils and is part of many natural ingredients. But, it is very powerful and should be used wisely as an ingredient.

Benefits: Why is Limonene used?

Cleaning Solvent

Limonene is a powerful cleaning solvent making it great at cutting grease and lifting grime.

Natural Insecticide

Limonene due to its strong fragrance is used as a natural insecticide, it is used for example in eco-friendly insect repellents.

Natural Flavour

Limonene is used in food items to give them a distinct lemony flavour.

Potential Health Benefits

Limonene has been studied for various health properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardiovascular properties.

Learn more about Limonene:

On the Shelf: Which Products Use Limonene?

Limonene is found in its highest concentration in natural essential oil products, especially grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime and bergamot. It’s very commonly used in fragrance and flavouring ingredients. You’ll find it often on ingredient lists in cosmetics but it’s usually a hidden ingredient in food products. Natural cleaning products make full use of limonene as well!

Production: How is Limonene Made?

Limonene is most commonly extracted from the peels (especially the rind where the highest concentrations can be found) of citrus fruits. The essential oil can be extracted from the raw material using steam distillation.

Interesting Fact: Limonene

In the EU, limonene must appear as a separate ingredient in ingredient lists, despite it being a naturally occurring component of essential oils because it is also used in proprietary parfum/perfume/fragrance blends. It must appear separately because it is recognised as an allergenic fragrance.

Limonene can also be found in full-spectrum CBD products. You can be certain your CBD product contains limonene if it is advertised as “contains terpenes” or as “full-spectrum”.