Lemon Myrtle Doesn’t Smell Like Lemon. It Smells More Lemon Than Lemon.

Lemon Myrtle Doesn’t Smell Like Lemon. It Smells More Lemon Than Lemon.

Crush a lemon myrtle leaf between your fingers and something extraordinary happens.

It smells sharper, brighter and infinitely more intense than a freshly sliced lemon. Bold, green and unmistakably Australian, Backhousia citriodora is one of those native botanicals that instantly stops you in your tracks.

The secret to that wild intensity comes down to pure chemistry: citral.

Lemon myrtle is renowned for its exceptionally high concentration of citral — the aromatic compound responsible for that unmistakable citrus intensity. Citral itself is primarily made up of geranial and neral, the compounds behind that sharp, fresh citrus character.

And that's where lemon myrtle gets even more interesting.

There’s More Going On Than Scent

That remarkable chemistry has made lemon myrtle an interesting subject for scientists studying Australian native plants.

Researchers have investigated lemon myrtle and its essential oil for antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, with studies exploring how its naturally occurring compounds behave against different microorganisms and oxidative processes.

Suddenly, that intensely fragrant little leaf becomes much more interesting.

What first gets your attention is the scent.

What keeps ours is the chemistry behind it.

Lemon myrtle isn't simply something that smells wonderful. It's a remarkably concentrated native botanical containing naturally occurring compounds that researchers continue to explore.

And it has been growing here all along.

What Are the Benefits of Lemon Myrtle?

Search for lemon myrtle benefits and you'll find plenty of impressive claims.

We think the plant itself is interesting enough without embellishing them.

What researchers do know is that lemon myrtle contains a fascinating collection of naturally occurring plant compounds. Its essential oil is particularly notable for its high citral content, while research has also examined its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

For skincare and body care, that makes lemon myrtle much more interesting to us than simply adding a pleasant fragrance.

It gives us an intensely aromatic Australian essential oil with a distinctive botanical profile of its own.

And there's something particularly satisfying about knowing exactly where that character comes from: not an artificial lemon fragrance, but the leaves of an Australian rainforest tree.

Lemon Myrtle in Skincare

Lemon myrtle has increasingly found its way into Australian botanical skincare, soaps, cleansers and body products.

It's easy to understand why.

Its fragrance is extraordinary.

Fresh lemon is bright and juicy. Lemon myrtle is different. It's sharper and greener, with a leafy botanical character underneath the citrus.

Put lemon myrtle essential oil into a cleansing bar and warm water brings that aroma to life.

The result isn't simply “lemon soap.”

It's unmistakably botanical.

For AERIS, that's exactly the sort of sensory experience we want from an ingredient. Something that contributes character to the product while connecting it to the Australian landscape it came from.

Why Lemon Myrtle Soap Just Makes Sense

There are ingredients you barely notice in a finished product.

Lemon myrtle isn't one of them.

In a cleansing bar, its distinctive aroma becomes part of the experience of using it. As the bar meets warm water and begins to lather, the essential oil releases that bright, green citrus character.

And because soap is something most of us use every single day, we like the idea of making that ordinary ritual a little less ordinary.

Good ingredients don't always need to make extraordinary promises.

Sometimes their chemistry, provenance and sensory character are interesting enough.

Lemon myrtle has all three.

Right in Our Own Backyard

Lemon myrtle is native to the subtropical rainforests of Queensland.

Australia is home to some extraordinary botanicals, yet so many of the ingredients celebrated by the beauty world have traditionally come from somewhere else.

Argan from Morocco. Shea from Africa. Jojoba from the deserts of North America.

Meanwhile, tucked into the Australian rainforest is a glossy green leaf containing one of nature's most extraordinary citrus aromas — backed by some fascinating plant chemistry of its own.

That's the sort of ingredient we love discovering.

Not because it's exotic.

Because it's ours.

Experience Australian Lemon Myrtle

We pair Australian lemon myrtle essential oil with paw paw in our handcrafted Paw Paw • Lemon Myrtle Cleansing Bar for face and body.

Bright, intensely botanical and distinctly Australian.