Melissa (Lemon Balm)

Melissa officinalis

Chemotype: citral-rich type

sweetcitruscitronella-likeherbalgrassylemony

PLANT PART: leaf
EXTRACTION: steam distilled
AROMA NOTE: top-mid

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LEARN AS YOU COMPARE

What’s inside this oil?

Constituents are the natural chemicals that give an oil its character. See the main ones, learn what they do, and explore differences between batches.

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FOLLOW YOUR SENSES

Aroma & character

A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.

sweetcitruscitronella-likeherbalgrassylemony

Aroma intensity: 55 / 100

Soft & subtleBold & expressive

Note layer: top-mid
Approximate tenacity: 120–120 hours

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A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY

Using it thoughtfully

Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.

Cited dermal maximum · leave-on: 0.9%
Phototoxicity: Not flagged in this profile
Oxidation risk: medium

A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.

No public source reviewed in this pass identified a phototoxic furocoumarin restriction for steam-distilled Melissa officinalis oil.

Contraindications & cautions

moderateAromaWeb's safety summary of Tisserand and Young reports a 0.9% dermal maximum and notes drug-interaction, teratogenicity, child-under-2, and hypersensitive or damaged-skin precautions.

Read the complete safety guide

Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches

A supplier report describes a particular sample. Open this workspace to investigate measured constituents and their original documents.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT

Inside the oil

12 constituents

An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.

About this composition

This generic Melissa officinalis record is anchored to a public Brazil GC-FID/GC-MS paper for exact constituent percentages and cross-checked against the FAO monograph summary showing the standard citral-rich Melissa pattern. Across public references reviewed in this pass, true melissa oil is characterized by dominant geranial and neral with smaller amounts of beta-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, alpha-pinene, sabinene, citronellal, and related terpenes.

Constituent	Typical amount	Reported range	Chemical family	Source
geranial	34.6%	34.6–34.6%	monoterpene aldehyde	View source Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil Academic Journals full text lines 149 and 180: geranial 34.6%
neral	26%	26–26%	monoterpene aldehyde	View source Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil Academic Journals full text lines 149 and 180: neral 26.0%
beta-caryophyllene	7.5%	7.5–7.5%	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil Academic Journals full text lines 149 and 180: gamma-caryophyllene / caryophyllene 7.5%
caryophyllene oxide	5.3%	5.3–5.3%	sesquiterpene oxide	View source Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil Academic Journals full text lines 149 and 180: caryophyllene oxide 5.3%
alpha-pinene	5.3%	5.3–5.3%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil Academic Journals full text lines 149 and 180: alpha-pinene 5.3%
sabinene	3.6%	3.6–3.6%	monoterpene hydrocarbon	View source Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil Academic Journals full text lines 149 and 180: sabinene 3.6%
Citronellal	5%	—	monoterpene aldehyde	View source Melissa officinalis EO composition review 2022 (PMC8998931) Table 1, multi-study ranges: citronellal 0.4-20.3, geranyl acetate 0.5-19.3, germacrene D 0.2-2.0, a-humulene 0.2-2.6, citronellol 0.4-1.88, geraniol 0.6-0.7
Geranyl acetate	2%	—	monoterpene ester	View source Melissa officinalis EO composition review 2022 (PMC8998931) Table 1, multi-study ranges: citronellal 0.4-20.3, geranyl acetate 0.5-19.3, germacrene D 0.2-2.0, a-humulene 0.2-2.6, citronellol 0.4-1.88, geraniol 0.6-0.7
Germacrene D	1.5%	—	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source Melissa officinalis EO composition review 2022 (PMC8998931) Table 1, multi-study ranges: citronellal 0.4-20.3, geranyl acetate 0.5-19.3, germacrene D 0.2-2.0, a-humulene 0.2-2.6, citronellol 0.4-1.88, geraniol 0.6-0.7
alpha-Humulene	1.5%	—	sesquiterpene hydrocarbon	View source Melissa officinalis EO composition review 2022 (PMC8998931) Table 1, multi-study ranges: citronellal 0.4-20.3, geranyl acetate 0.5-19.3, germacrene D 0.2-2.0, a-humulene 0.2-2.6, citronellol 0.4-1.88, geraniol 0.6-0.7
Citronellol	1%	—	monoterpene alcohol	View source Melissa officinalis EO composition review 2022 (PMC8998931) Table 1, multi-study ranges: citronellal 0.4-20.3, geranyl acetate 0.5-19.3, germacrene D 0.2-2.0, a-humulene 0.2-2.6, citronellol 0.4-1.88, geraniol 0.6-0.7
Geraniol	0.7%	—	monoterpene alcohol	View source Melissa officinalis EO composition review 2022 (PMC8998931) Table 1, multi-study ranges: citronellal 0.4-20.3, geranyl acetate 0.5-19.3, germacrene D 0.2-2.0, a-humulene 0.2-2.6, citronellol 0.4-1.88, geraniol 0.6-0.7

Profile source: Chemical composition of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. and antioxidant activity from Boa Vista-RR, Brazil; Minor oil crops - Individual monographs (Melissa officinalis); Melissa Essential Oil: Benefits, Uses & Insights; melissa oil, 8014-71-9 · https://academicjournals.org/journal/AJPP/article-full-text/0FD54B263389 ; https://www.fao.org/4/x5043e/x5043E0i.htm ; https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/melissa-essential-oil.php ; https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/es1024891.html

A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY

Traditional & reported uses

These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.

traditionally used in aromatherapy for calming, mood-lifting effects
reported to support restful sleep and ease occasional nervous tension
used in perfumery for a bright, lemony-herbaceous note, though costly and often diluted
traditionally associated with soothing, comforting blends historically linked to lemon balm herbal tradition
used in blends intended to ease occasional emotional overwhelm

For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.

What we're still learning · 3 data gaps

Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.

The 0.9% max_dermal_pct is supported here by a public AromaWeb summary of Tisserand and Young rather than a directly readable primary monograph page.
No public source reviewed in this pass expressed Melissa odor intensity on the archive's native 0-100 scale; 55 is a normalization of The Good Scents Company's qualitative 'Odor Strength: medium' descriptor.
No source-backed volatility_rate value was verified in this pass.