Bergamote - Huile essentielle

Bergamot - Essential Oil

Bergamot essential oil, with its fresh and delicate fragrance, is prized for its relaxing, purifying, and balancing properties. It pleasantly perfumes skincare products, interior spaces, and natural fragrance creations.

Avertissement

Les propriétés, indications et modes d’utilisation présentés sont tirés d’ouvrages et de sites de référence en aromathérapie, hydrolathérapie et phytothérapie. Ces données sont fournies à titre informatif et ne constituent pas un avis médical. Elles ne remplacent en aucun cas un diagnostic, une consultation ou un suivi médical et n’engagent pas notre responsabilité. Avant toute utilisation, consultez le guide des huiles essentielles pour connaître les précautions d’emploi. En cas de doute, demandez l’avis d’un médecin.

Properties

Refreshing
Refreshing
Emotional harmony
Emotional harmony
Serenity
Serenity

Uses

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icone-site-diffusion-utilise-born-to-bio
icone-site-inhalation-utilise-born-to-bio

  • Properties, uses & synergies

  • Precautions for use

  • History of the plant and characteristics

Properties

Bergamot essential oil is one of the most popular for its many qualities. Its refreshing, soft and soothing fragrance gives it a central place in the world of well-being and cosmetics.
Its traditional uses attribute the following properties to it in particular:

• Emotionally balancing, it eases tension and encourages relaxation
• Skin tonic, ideal for blemish-prone skin
• Cleansing and purifying, for both the skin and the surrounding air
• Natural deodorant, with a lively, pleasant scent
• Much appreciated in perfumery for its fresh, citrusy notes

Traditional uses

Aromatherapy

When diffused, it creates a bright, soothing atmosphere. Its soft, comforting fragrance encourages relaxation and concentration, and accompanies meditation practices.

Cosmetics and natural care

It is sometimes included in care products for blemish-prone skin, serums or lotions. Its fresh, floral scent is also very popular in homemade hair care.
⚠️ Caution: because it is photosensitising, it must be used with care in skin care.

Household care

Its lively, citrusy aroma naturally scents the air, deodorises rooms and adds a cleansing touch to homemade sprays.

Well-being and relaxation

Used in diffusion, aromatic baths or olfactotherapy, it encourages emotional relaxation and clarity of mind.

Other uses

Highly renowned in perfumery, it is found in traditional Eau de Cologne and in Earl Grey tea, to which it gives its unique flavour.

Uses

Diffusion

• A few drops in a cold-air diffuser.
• Do not diffuse for more than 20 minutes continuously in a closed room.

Skin application

• Always dilute to 1–2% maximum in a vegetable oil (e.g. jojoba, sweet almond).
• Can be applied to the solar plexus or wrists for relaxation.
⚠️ Avoid any exposure to sun or UV within 12 hours of application (unless bergapten-free).

Inhalation

• Put 1 drop on a tissue and inhale deeply.
• Used to help refocus and calm passing stress.

Aromatic bath

• Dilute 4 to 5 drops in a dispersing base before pouring into hot bath water.
• Ideal for ending the day with a soothing moment.

Synergies

Bergamot essential oil blends perfectly with:

• True Lavender, for a soft, relaxing fragrance.
• Petitgrain Bigarade, for a serene atmosphere.
• Sweet Orange, Lemon, Mandarin, for a fresh, fruity, bright effect.
• Ylang-ylang, for balancing, sensual blends.
• Tea Tree or Rose Geranium, in homemade cosmetics, to purify and brighten the skin.

Essential oils are powerful active ingredients that should be used with caution.

The use of Bergamot essential oil is not recommended for:

- Children under 6
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women (unless advised by a doctor)
- People allergic to citrus fruits

⚠️ Specific precautions:

- Dermocaustic when undiluted → always dilute before applying.
- Risk of photosensitisation → avoid any sun exposure after use.
- External use only; do not ingest without professional supervision.

Storage

Store away from light and heat, in a tinted glass bottle.
Tightly closed and properly stored, it can keep for up to 3 years.

The plant

Bergamot essential oil (Citrus bergamia) comes from the zest of the fruit of the bergamot tree, a small tree of the Rutaceae family.

Modest in size, the bergamot tree generally measures between 3 and 4 metres tall. It has dark green, glossy evergreen foliage, and in spring it is covered in fragrant white flowers that give off a delicate, sweet aroma. These flowers give rise to a round to slightly flattened fruit, with thick, grainy skin that is yellow to pale green when ripe.

The bergamot fruit is not eaten as it is, because its flesh is particularly sour and bitter. Its zest, however, is extremely rich in aromatic essences, making it the most precious part of the plant for extracting the essential oil.

The bergamot tree is mainly grown in Calabria (Italy), the region that accounts for most of the world's production. It is also found in Spain, Turkey and Ivory Coast, but it is the mild, sunny Mediterranean climate of Calabria that allows it to fully develop its aromatic potential.

The essential oil is obtained by cold expression of the zest, a mechanical process that preserves its delicate aromatic molecules.

With a fragrance that is fresh, citrusy and slightly floral, Bergamot essential oil holds a central place in aromatherapy and natural perfumery. It is also one of the emblematic ingredients of the original Eau de Cologne recipe.

Anecdotes & History

The origin of bergamot dates back to the 12th century, when it was introduced to Europe by the Arabs. Since then, it has mainly been grown in Italy, which has become its undisputed home.

Its name is thought to come from the Italian city of Bergamo, where the fruit was widely used and appreciated.

Bergamot is also an emblematic ingredient of traditional Eau de Cologne, to which it brings its fresh, bright notes.

It is also famous in the world of tea, as its characteristic fragrance gives Earl Grey tea its unique, refined taste.

Finally, symbolically, bergamot is associated with light, clarity of mind and inner peace, adding to its aura as a fruit as precious as it is inspiring.

Physical and olfactory characteristics

Bergamot essential oil is characterised by:

• Appearance: fluid liquid
• Colour: yellow to pale green
• Scent: fresh, lively, lemony with a soft floral note
• Texture: light, non-greasy, evaporates quickly

Its citrusy, floral fragrance makes it a key oil in perfumery and aromatic blends.

Biochemical composition

The biochemical composition of Bergamot essential oil is based on a wide variety of active aromatic molecules that explain its many benefits:

• Limonene (up to 40%)
• Linalool
• Linalyl acetate
• Bergapten (photosensitising furocoumarin)
• β-pinene, γ-terpinene

This biochemical richness gives bergamot properties that are at once refreshing, balancing and relaxing.

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