Scent Almanac
Lime
Citrus aurantifolia
Tart, green and zesty. Expressed lime smells like fresh peel; distilled lime is sharper and sweeter, like a lime soda or candy.
- Made from
- Either cold-pressed from the peel or steam-distilled from the whole crushed fruit; the two smell and behave differently.
- Strength
- ●●●○○
- Cost
- Budget
- Moods
- EnergizingRefreshingUplifting
- Seasons
- Summer, Spring
- Rooms
- Kitchen, Bathroom, 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
Cold-pressed lime is strongly phototoxic in leave-on skin products; steam-distilled lime is not, so check which you have. 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. Distilled lime is a little more robust than expressed.
Wax meltsWorkable
Reed diffuserGood
Room & linen sprayGreat
Lovely with spearmint or coconut in a bathroom or kitchen spray.
Electric (water) diffuserGreat
Cold-process soapWorkable
Single-fold citrus fades from cold-process soap within weeks of cure; anchor with litsea or a base note, or use a folded (5x/10x) oil.
Melt-and-pour soapGreat
Laundry & cleaningGood
Pairs well with
Coconut
Middle · Gourmand
Fragrance oil
Spearmint
Top · Herbal
Essential oil
Peppermint
Top · Herbal
Essential oil
Ginger
Middle · Spicy
Essential oil
Grapefruit
Top · Citrus
Essential oil
Lemongrass
Middle · Citrus
Essential oil
Basil
Top · Herbal
Essential oil
Sea Salt
Top · Fresh & clean
Fragrance oil
Cucumber
Top · Green
Fragrance oil
Black Pepper
Top · Spicy
Essential oil
Don't have it? Try Lemon, Litsea Cubeba (May Chang), Yuzu.
In these blends
Kitchen Window
Lemons, fresh ginger and a cutting board — a kitchen that smells cleaned.
Lemon · Ginger · Lemongrass · Virginian Cedarwood · Lime
EnergizingCleanSummerSpring
Spring Clean Citrus
Grapefruit, lime and herbs for scrubbing sinks and freshening drains.
Grapefruit · Lemongrass · Rosemary · Lime · Virginian Cedarwood · Tea Tree
CleanUpliftingSpringSummer
Green Tea & Lemongrass
A bamboo-screened tea room with a pot of green tea just poured.
Green Tea · Lemongrass · Bamboo · Hinoki · Lime · Ginger
FocusingRefreshingSpringSummer
Coconut Lime Verbena
A tall glass of lime over ice by a pool — creamy coconut, zesty verbena.
Coconut · Lime · Lemongrass · Sandalwood · Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) · Vanilla
RefreshingUpliftingSummer
A little lore
Steam-distilled lime oil is the source of the familiar lime note in many cola and lemon-lime soft drinks.