Sharper than lemon, greener, with a metallic bite. Lime is the most angular of the citrus notes — it cuts rather than caresses, with an almost electric, gin-and-tonic tartness.
Sharper and greener than lemon, with a metallic, almost electric tartness. Cold-pressed lime has a full-bodied bitterness and peel richness; distilled lime is smoother and sweeter with candy-like qualities. Both share a distinct green quality absent from other citrus notes — vegetal, slightly herbaceous, like crushed lime leaves mixed with zest. The finish is clean and transparent, fading faster than lemon.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sharp, electric, green-metallic burst — more angular and cutting than any other citrus
After a few hours
After a few hours
Softer green-citrus with fading tartness, revealing a clean, slightly sweet transparency
After a few days
After a few days
Near-imperceptible clean trace — lime fades faster than lemon or orange on skin
Terroir & Expressions
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Lime in perfumery refers primarily to two species: the Key lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) and the Persian lime (Citrus latifolia). Mexico dominates commercial production, with Key limes grown on the Pacific coast and Persian limes along the Gulf states. The essential oil comes in two fundamentally different forms — and the choice matters.
Cold-pressed lime oil is darker in color (green to olive-yellow), richer, and more complex, with the full tartness and bitterness of the peel intact. It contains furanocoumarins and is phototoxic — it can cause skin burns under UV exposure. Steam-distilled lime oil is colorless to pale, sweeter, and lacks the peel's bite. Crucially, distillation removes the furanocoumarins, making it non-phototoxic. For skin-applied perfumery, distilled lime is the safer choice.
The chemical profile differs between methods. Distilled lime oil is dominated by gamma-terpineol and alpha-terpineol, giving it a softer, more rounded character. Cold-pressed lime oil has higher levels of beta-pinene and retains more of the sharp, green, almost metallic quality associated with fresh lime zest.
Lime is a top note of extreme volatility. It provides the most angular, cutting citrus impression in the perfumer's palette — sharper than lemon, less sweet than orange, with a distinct green edge that lemon lacks. It is structural in fougères, aquatic compositions, and tropical-fresh accords. The note fades quickly but leaves a clean, transparent signature in the opening minutes.
This note in Première Peau. Gravitas Capitale · Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Lime is the only citrus fruit commercially extracted by both cold pressing and steam distillation — and the two oils smell noticeably different. Cold-pressed lime oil is also phototoxic due to furanocoumarins, while distilled lime oil is not. In perfumery, the choice between them is both an olfactory and a safety decision.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Two methods yield fundamentally different materials. Cold pressing of the peel produces a green-yellow oil rich in furanocoumarins (phototoxic). Steam distillation of the whole fruit or peel produces a colorless, non-phototoxic oil with a sweeter, rounder profile. Mexico is the world's dominant producer of both forms. Lime is the only citrus commercially treated by both cold expression and steam distillation.
Complex mixture — key compound: limonene C₁₀H₁₆ (up to 60%)
CAS Number
8008-26-2
Botanical Name
Citrus aurantiifolia
IFRA Status
Restricted (expressed) — phototoxic; expressed lime oil contains furanocoumarins; distilled lime oil is not restricted
Synonyms
KEY LIME · PERSIAN LIME · MEXICAN LIME
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
20 hours at 100.00%
Appearance
olive green liquid
Boiling Point
176.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
115.00 °F. TCC ( 46.11 °C. )
Specific Gravity
0.87200 to 0.88100 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index
1.48200 to 1.48500 @ 20.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Lime is a high-volatility top note providing the most angular, cutting citrus impression in the perfumer's palette. Two forms exist: cold-pressed (fuller, more complex, but phototoxic) and steam-distilled (softer, sweeter, non-phototoxic — preferred for skin application). The note is structural in fougères, aquatic compositions, colognes, and tropical-fresh accords. Lime cuts through sweetness more aggressively than lemon and adds a green, metallic edge.
