Fragrance allergen

Bergamot

Bergamot peel oil is the essential oil pressed from the rind of the bergamot fruit, Citrus bergamia. It has a fresh, zesty citrus smell and is widely used in colognes, perfumes and cosmetics, as well as in food and confectionery. It is a natural mixture of many components.

Where it comes from

Bergamot trees are grown almost exclusively on the southern coast of Calabria in Italy, which supplies more than 90 per cent of world production. The oil is obtained by rasping and cold pressing the fruit peel. ScenTree lists its main parts as limonene (30 to 45 per cent), linalyl acetate (22 to 36 per cent) and linalool (3 to 15 per cent).

Smell and use

Fresh, zesty citrus. A scientific review describes an intense fragrance and freshness and a characteristic pleasant odour, and ScenTree files it under citrus, zesty, bergamot. Its linalyl acetate adds a sweet bergamot and lavender side.

Bergamot oil is widely used in perfume, cosmetics, food and confectionery. In perfumery ScenTree lists it in eaux fraiches, colognes and chypre accords, where it brings freshness to the opening and lightens oriental notes.

On the label

Named on 4% of the 6,851 perfume ingredient lists we hold (240 perfumes).

Printed as
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil
EU
Annex III, entry 352. Must be named above 0.001% in leave-on products (0.01% rinse-off).
Great Britain
Not on Great Britain's list. It came to the EU list in 2023 and a GB label need not name it.

IFRA has a Restriction standard for expressed bergamot oil, set because of its phototoxic effects, with limits that depend on product category, from 0.40 per cent in several categories to no restriction in others. A review links the phototoxicity to bergapten (5-MOP) and notes that furocoumarin-free oil is made for perfumery. In the EU it was added to the labelled allergen list by Regulation (EU) 2023/1545. One industry source says Great Britain has not adopted that expansion.

A list that does not name it does not prove it is absent: brands only have to name it above the threshold.

Frequency by concentration

  • Eau de parfum 4% of 4,889
  • Eau de toilette 2% of 1,227
  • Extrait 5% of 341
  • Parfum 10% of 194
  • Cologne 1% of 114
  • Body spray 10% of 42
  • Other 15% of 27

Share of the perfumes we hold a list for, in each concentration.

Named alongside

Share of the lists naming Bergamot that also name each of these.

Notes whose materials include it

Perfumes whose box names it

Common questions

What does bergamot oil smell like?

Fresh and zesty citrus. A scientific review describes an intense fragrance and freshness, and ScenTree files it under citrus, zesty, bergamot. Linalyl acetate in the oil adds a sweet bergamot and lavender side.

Is bergamot oil natural or synthetic?

Natural. It is obtained from the peel of Citrus bergamia by rasping and cold pressing the fruit, and most of it comes from the southern coast of Calabria in Italy.

Why is Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil on my perfume label?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added it to the list of fragrance allergens, so a product containing it above 0.001 per cent (leave-on) or 0.01 per cent (rinse-off) must name it separately from 'parfum'.