Bergamot Oil: History, Research, Sun Safety and How to Use It Well

Bergamot oil gives Earl Grey tea its flavor and many classic perfumes their bright opening note. This article covers where bergamot oil comes from, what the research says about its effects, and the sun-sensitivity risk most people never hear about. You will also learn how to choose and use it safely around children and pets.

[PHOTO: A whole bergamot fruit cut in half beside a small amber bottle, on a plain wooden surface in daylight.]

What is bergamot oil?

Bergamot oil is an essential oil pressed from the peel of the bergamot orange. The fruit is small, pear-shaped and greenish-yellow. It is too sour and bitter to eat fresh, so it is grown almost entirely for its fragrant rind.

The botany, and a naming puzzle

Bergamot is traditionally called Citrus bergamia, in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It is almost certainly a hybrid. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes it as a cross, usually between sour orange and lemon. The PROSEA plant database notes other proposals, including a lemon mutation or a sour orange and lime cross.

Botanists have not settled on one name. Kew’s Plants of the World Online now treats Citrus × bergamia as a synonym of Citrus × limon. Britannica lists it under Citrus × aurantium. You will see Citrus bergamia on most oil labels, and that is fine for identifying the product.

Where bergamot grows

The bergamot’s true origin is unknown, and its stories vary. What is clear is where it is grown today. According to PROSEA, the Calabria region of southern Italy produces almost all the world’s bergamot oil. Smaller amounts come from West Africa, mainly Ivory Coast and Guinea.

That concentration in one region matters to buyers. A small harvest from a single coast makes genuine bergamot oil relatively costly. It also makes cheaper blends and synthetic substitutes common.

How bergamot oil is made, and why it matters for safety

In Calabria, PROSEA describes the traditional method. Whole fruits are rasped under sprays of water to break the oil glands in the peel. The oily water is then spun in a centrifuge to separate the oil. The leftover peel can be distilled to give a lower-grade oil.

Yield is small. PROSEA puts it at about 0.55% of the fruit’s weight. The method also decides one of the most important safety questions.

What is in bergamot oil?

Bergamot’s scent comes from a mix of compounds. PROSEA gives typical values for Italian oil. Linalyl acetate averages about 28%, and linalool about 8%, within a range of 5 to 15%. These two also give lavender its soft, floral character. Limonene, gamma-terpinene and beta-pinene add the fresh citrus top note.

The small but important extra is bergapten, also called 5-methoxypsoralen. It belongs to a group of compounds called furanocoumarins. Bergapten is what makes standard bergamot oil react with sunlight on the skin.

Based on PROSEA, IFRA and the Tisserand Institute. The Tisserand Institute explains that phototoxic compounds do not pass through distillation.

Bergamot in history, perfume and tradition

Perfume and Earl Grey

Bergamot’s biggest role has always been in scent and flavor. PROSEA links it to the original eau de Cologne, created in the German city of Cologne. It remains a common top note in men’s fragrances and aftershaves. Britannica notes that the fruit is best known for flavoring Earl Grey tea. It has also flavored tobacco and citrus soft drinks.

Modern aromatherapy and spiritual practice

In modern aromatherapy, bergamot is described as uplifting and calming at once. That balance is why it appears in blends sold for stress and low mood. These descriptions come from aromatherapy tradition and practice, not from proven medical effects.

Some energy-healing practitioners also link bergamot to particular chakras, most often the solar plexus and heart. They use it in meditation, cleansing rituals and intention-setting. These are spiritual beliefs. They describe how people use the oil in practice, not measurable effects on the body.

You may also read that bergamot “balances the doshas” in Ayurveda. Bergamot is a Mediterranean fruit, and it does not appear in the classical Ayurvedic texts. Dosha descriptions for bergamot are modern interpretations by aromatherapy writers, not traditional teaching.

Bergamot oil benefits: what the research shows

Many websites list a long string of bergamot oil benefits. Few cite human studies. Here is what the research actually found, grouped by question.

Stress and mood

The most cited study is a small Japanese trial from 2015 by Watanabe and colleagues. It tested 41 healthy female university students in a crossover design. Each woman rested for 15 minutes three ways: plain rest, rest with water vapor, and rest with water vapor plus bergamot oil.

With bergamot, salivary cortisol was lower than with plain rest. Mood and anxiety scores also improved compared with plain rest. Yet cortisol was not significantly lower than with water vapor alone. The trial had no true placebo, was short, and studied only young women. The results are interesting but preliminary.

Anxiety in people with cancer

The US National Cancer Institute summarizes two trials that used bergamot. In an Australian study, 313 people having radiotherapy inhaled a blend of lavender, bergamot and cedarwood oils. It did not reduce anxiety, depression or fatigue compared with carrier oil alone.

A second, placebo-controlled trial involved 37 children and teenagers receiving stem cell infusions. Inhaled bergamot oil was not effective for nausea, anxiety or pain.

Essential oils and anxiety more broadly

A 2023 network meta-analysis in Frontiers in Public Health pooled 44 randomized trials of essential oils for anxiety. Across all oils, anxiety scores fell compared with controls. The oils ranked highest were jasmine and bitter orange. Bergamot was not among the oils the abstract highlighted, and the wide uncertainty ranges make the rankings imprecise.

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) adds context. It says it is unclear whether aromatherapy helps sleep, because little rigorous research has been done. A pleasant scent can still make a room feel calmer. That is a fine reason to enjoy it, as long as it is not mistaken for treatment.

Skin infections, acne and “antimicrobial” claims

Bergamot oil is often described as antibacterial and antifungal. These claims rest mainly on laboratory studies, where oils touch microbes directly in a dish. They have not been shown to treat acne, dandruff, athlete’s foot or skin infections in people. Applying standard bergamot to skin that then sees sunlight can also cause harm. See a doctor or pharmacist for any skin infection.

Bergamot and cholesterol: a different product

You may see headlines about bergamot lowering cholesterol. Those studies test oral supplements made from bergamot fruit extract or juice, not the essential oil. A 2020 systematic review in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition included 12 studies. Most reported lower cholesterol and triglycerides. The authors judged the studies’ quality “quite limited” and called for stronger trials.

Never swallow bergamot essential oil to try to copy these results. If you are thinking about a bergamot supplement, discuss it with your doctor. This is especially important if you take a statin or other heart medicine.

Summary built from the studies cited in this article. “Preliminary” means a single small study, not proof.

Bergamot oil phototoxicity: the sun-sensitivity risk

Phototoxicity is the most important safety issue with bergamot oil. When bergapten sits on skin and meets ultraviolet light, it can trigger a reaction that looks like a severe sunburn. Redness and blistering can appear, followed by brown patches that may last for months.

The fragrance industry treats this seriously. The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) standard for expressed bergamot oil caps it at 0.4% in most products that stay on the skin. The standard explains the limit exists because of the oil’s phototoxic effects. Rinse-off products such as soap have no such cap.

How long the risk lasts is uncertain. Robert Tisserand writes that the sun exposure needed to trigger a reaction is not known exactly and could be just a few minutes. Many aromatherapy guides advise keeping treated skin out of the sun and tanning beds for at least 12 hours. There is no window that is guaranteed safe.

Other safety cautions for bergamot oil

Do not swallow it

The National Cancer Institute says swallowing large amounts of essential oils is not recommended. Bergamot flavor in food and tea is used at tiny, regulated amounts, which is very different from drinking drops of oil. Keep bottles well out of children’s reach. If someone swallows essential oil, call your local poison control center (1-800-222-1222 in the US).

Even bergamot-flavored tea has one documented oddity. In 2002, The Lancet published a case report of a man who drank up to 4 liters of black tea a day. After switching to Earl Grey, he developed muscle cramps and twitching. His symptoms cleared within a week of stopping. The author suggested bergapten might affect nerve signaling. It was a single case at an extreme intake, not a reason to worry about a normal cup.

Skin irritation and allergy

The National Cancer Institute notes that essential oils can irritate skin, especially with long contact, and allergic reactions are possible. Always dilute bergamot in a carrier oil before skin use. Test a small patch first, and stop if redness or itching appears. Citrus oils change as they age and oxidize, so store bottles tightly closed, cool and away from light.

Pregnancy, children and medicines

• During pregnancy or breastfeeding, ask your doctor or midwife before using any essential oil on your skin.
• Do not apply bergamot oil to babies or young children without professional advice. Keep diffuser sessions short and well ventilated.
• If you use medicines or skin treatments that already make you sun-sensitive, ask a pharmacist before using standard bergamot on skin.
• People with asthma may find strong scents irritating. Diffuse lightly or avoid it.

Pets: dogs, cats, birds and small animals

The ASPCA lists the bergamot orange plant as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. It names the essential oils and psoralens as the toxic principles. Signs include vomiting, diarrhea and depression, plus skin inflammation after light exposure.

For essential oils in general, the ASPCA advises never applying concentrated oil to a pet, and storing bottles out of reach. Brief diffuser use in an area pets cannot access is unlikely to be a problem. It recommends avoiding diffusers in homes with birds. The same concern applies to rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, which have sensitive airways.

How to use bergamot oil safely

Use this decision path before bergamot touches your skin. It is the single habit that prevents most problems.

Dilution at a glance

A dilution percentage is the share of essential oil in the whole blend. The table converts percentages into drops, assuming roughly 20 drops per milliliter. Dropper sizes vary, so treat these as approximate. This is for fragrance and skincare blends, not treatment of any condition.

Arithmetic based on 20 drops per ml. For face, children, pregnancy or sensitive skin, use lower dilutions and follow a professional dilution chart, such as the Tisserand Institute’s.

Good ways to enjoy bergamot

• A morning diffuser blend: bergamot pairs well with lavender, cedarwood or a little frankincense for a fresh, soft scent.
• A natural perfume: use bergamot FCF in a roll-on with a carrier oil, applied where clothing covers it.
• Rinse-off products: soaps and shower gels, where IFRA sets no bergamot limit.
• A calm moment: some people like a bergamot scent during yoga or breathing practice. Enjoy it as a sensory cue, not a treatment.

You can explore more scents in our essential oils and scents collection. Bergamot is often compared with lavender oil, since both are rich in linalool and linalyl acetate.

Bergamot oil vs other citrus oils

Citrus oils look similar in the bottle but differ in safety. The key difference is whether the expressed oil is phototoxic.

Phototoxicity applies to cold-pressed oils. Steam-distilled citrus oils are not phototoxic, according to the Tisserand Institute.

Common mistakes with bergamot oil

1. Wearing standard bergamot in the sun. A homemade perfume on the neck before a beach day is a classic route to phototoxic burns.
2. Assuming “natural” means safe on skin. The natural bergapten is exactly what causes the reaction.
3. Not reading the label. Look for “FCF” or “bergaptene-free” for skin use. If the label does not say, assume it is phototoxic.
4. Confusing bergamot orange with wild bergamot. Monarda products are different plants with different properties.
5. Swallowing drops to copy cholesterol studies. Those studies used fruit extracts, not essential oil.
6. Diffusing near cats or birds. Keep sessions short, ventilated and in rooms pets cannot enter.
7. Using it instead of care. Low mood, anxiety or a skin infection deserve a professional’s help.

Before your next bottle

Turn the bottle around and check the label for three things. Look for the Latin name, Citrus bergamia, the method (expressed or distilled) and the letters FCF. If you plan to put it on your skin and FCF is missing, keep that bottle for the diffuser.

Sources

1. National Cancer Institute. Aromatherapy and Essential Oils (PDQ), Health Professional Version. cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/aromatherapy-pdq
2. National Cancer Institute. Aromatherapy With Essential Oils (PDQ), Patient Version. cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/aromatherapy-pdq
3. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Aromatherapy. nccih.nih.gov/health/aromatherapy
4. International Fragrance Association. IFRA Standard: Bergamot oil expressed, Amendment 49. ifrafragrance.org
5. Tisserand Institute. Citruses: a comparison of different oils. tisserandinstitute.org
6. Watanabe E, Kuchta K, Kimura M, Rauwald HW, Kamei T, Imanishi J. Effects of bergamot (Citrus bergamia) essential oil aromatherapy on mood states, parasympathetic nervous system activity, and salivary cortisol levels in 41 healthy females. Forschende Komplementärmedizin 2015; 22(1): 43–49. karger.com
7. Tan L, Liao FF, Long LZ, et al. Essential oils for treating anxiety: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and network meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37325306
8. Effect of bergamot on lipid profile in humans: a systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2020; 60(18): 3133–3143. zaguan.unizar.es/record/88448
9. Finsterer J. Earl Grey tea intoxication. The Lancet 2002; 359: 1484.
10. ASPCA Animal Poison Control. Bergamot Orange. aspca.org
11. ASPCA. The Essentials of Essential Oils Around Pets. aspca.org
12. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Plants of the World Online: Citrus × bergamia. powo.science.kew.org
13. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Bergamot orange. britannica.com/plant/bergamot-orange
14. PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia). Citrus bergamia. prosea.prota4u.org