Scent Almanac
Bergamot
Citrus bergamia
Citrusy but more refined than orange or lemon — sweet, slightly floral and peppery-green, the smell of Earl Grey tea.
- Made from
- Cold-pressed from the peel of the bergamot orange; a furocoumarin-free (FCF) version is processed to remove the phototoxic bergapten.
- Strength
- ●●●○○
- Cost
- Moderate
- Moods
- UpliftingCalmingRefreshing
- Seasons
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Rooms
- Living room, Bedroom, Office
Cautions
- Phototoxic in leave-on products (fine in rinse-off soap and home fragrance)
- Oxidizes with age — old oil is more likely to sensitize; store cool and dark
- Caution around pets (especially cats and birds) — don't diffuse in their space
- Fades quickly — weak in cold-process soap or at hot throw
Regular bergamot is strongly phototoxic in leave-on skin products; bergamot FCF is not. Neither matters in rinse-off soap or home fragrance. Store cool and dark, and don't diffuse around cats.
How it behaves
CandlesWorkable
Citrus essential oils flash off in hot wax and give a faint hot throw on their own; anchor with litsea cubeba, lemongrass or a base note, or use a folded oil. Bergamot pairs well with a lavender or cedar base that carries it.
Wax meltsWorkable
Reed diffuserGreat
Room & linen sprayGreat
Electric (water) diffuserGreat
Cold-process soapWorkable
Holds a little better than orange or lemon, especially with lavender, but still softens during cure.
Melt-and-pour soapGreat
Laundry & cleaningWorkable
Pairs well with
Lavender
Middle · Floral
Essential oil
Neroli
Top · Floral
Essential oil
Geranium
Middle · Floral
Essential oil
Vetiver
Base · Earthy
Essential oil
Atlas Cedarwood
Base · Woody
Essential oil
Frankincense
Base · Resinous & amber
Essential oil
Black Pepper
Top · Spicy
Essential oil
Jasmine
Middle · Floral
Absolute / CO2
Patchouli
Base · Earthy
Essential oil
Clary Sage
Middle · Herbal
Essential oil
Don't have it? Try Petitgrain, Yuzu.
In these blends
Morning Grove
Sun through an orange grove at breakfast — bright, green and gently floral.
Geranium · Atlas Cedarwood · Sweet Orange · Petitgrain · Bergamot
UpliftingEnergizingSpringSummer
Lavender & Cedar Nightcap
The last quiet hour before sleep, with a book and the lamp turned low.
Lavender · Bergamot · Virginian Cedarwood · Roman Chamomile
CalmingAutumnWinterSpring
Forest Bathing
A slow walk under firs after rain, bark and needles underfoot.
Fir Needle · Atlas Cedarwood · Bergamot · Cypress · Grapefruit · Vetiver
GroundingRefreshingAutumnWinter
Rose Geranium Garden
A rosy, green-edged garden bench at the height of June.
Geranium · Bergamot · Palmarosa · Sandalwood · Mandarin
RomanticUpliftingSpringSummer
Quiet Temple
Resin smoke and soft herbs in a cool stone room — for slowing down.
Bergamot · Lavender · Clary Sage · Frankincense · Myrrh
GroundingCalmingAutumnWinter
Salt & Driftwood
A windy afternoon on the beach — salt spray, warm sand and sun-bleached wood.
Coconut · Sea Salt · Atlas Cedarwood · Bergamot · Freesia · Amber
RefreshingCalmingSummer
Old Library
Leather armchairs, pipe tobacco and the dusty spice of old book spines.
Clary Sage · Bergamot · Cardamom · Leather · Tobacco Leaf · Black Pepper
GroundingCozyNostalgicAutumnWinter
Amber Hearth
A wool blanket, a lamp's warm glow and soft vanilla-amber on the skin of the room.
Bergamot · Almond · Cardamom · Vanilla · Amber · Cinnamon Leaf
CozyCalmingSensualAutumnWinter
Cabin Weekend
A log cabin, a woodstove going and fir trees right outside the door.
Fir Needle · Bergamot · Atlas Cedarwood · Juniper Berry · Campfire · Black Pepper
CozyGroundingAutumnWinter
Midnight Oud
Dark rose and smoky wood in a candlelit room late at night.
Geranium · Bergamot · Palmarosa · Sandalwood · Pink Pepper · Oud
SensualRomanticAutumnWinter
Peony Blush
A jar of pink peonies on the dresser, just opened.
Peony · Sandalwood · Pear · Freesia · Bergamot
RomanticUpliftingSpring
Lilac Porch
Grandma's lilac hedge by the porch steps in late spring.
Lilac · Bergamot · Virginian Cedarwood · Honeysuckle · Fresh-Cut Grass · Vanilla
NostalgicCalmingSpring
Honeyed Tobacco
Cured tobacco leaves and warm honey in an old barn at harvest.
Bergamot · Cardamom · Honey · Clary Sage · Geranium · Tobacco Leaf
SensualCozyAutumnWinter
Mahogany Study
A polished wooden desk, a spiced tea and a long evening of reading.
Mahogany · Bergamot · Cypress · Cardamom · Black Pepper · Nutmeg
FocusingGroundingAutumnWinter
Fig & Cedar
Ripe figs split open in the shade of an old cedar tree.
Fig · Atlas Cedarwood · Bergamot · Fig Leaf · Pink Pepper
GroundingSensualSummerAutumn
Gardenia Moon
A white-flower garden at night, heavy with gardenia and tuberose.
Gardenia · Sandalwood · Bergamot · Magnolia · Mandarin · Ylang Ylang
RomanticSensualSummer
Desert Sanctuary
Sage brush and sun-warmed wood at the end of a quiet desert hike.
White Sage · Grapefruit · Lavender · Palo Santo · Bergamot · Labdanum
GroundingCalmingSummerAutumn
A little lore
Nearly all of the world's bergamot is grown on a narrow coastal strip of Calabria in southern Italy, and it flavors Earl Grey tea.