From relieving stress to its gentle antiseptic properties, Bergamot essential oil is a fascinating and healing element to be incorporated into your daily aromatherapy ritual.
Although Bergamot essential oil has a beautifully sweet, citrussy aroma, the raw fruit itself is highly sour and absolutely inedible – I know, I tried it! For optimum taste, the bergamot passes through numerous processes before any of it is fit for human consumption. Bergamot essential oil is often used as a flavouring in food and beverages, being most famous for being the flavouring to the famous Earl Grey Tea.
Although Bergamot essential oil can be highly effective whether used for its health or skin benefits, it is known to be one of the most phototoxic Essential Oils to exist, alongside Lemon oil and Grapefruit oil.
Therefore, you must take care not to use undiluted Bergamot essential oil when exposed to direct sunlight, hot climates and other ultraviolet light. As an aside on this issue, people do tend to worry too much about using Bergamot essential oil in aromatherapy treatments. Please do not worry, as the dilutions of the oil in a carrier is perfectly safe. The warnings are mainly directed at people who use undiluted oil before going into the sun the ‘enhance and speed up’ the tanning process.
This is of course dangerous, but as long as you leave the clinic fully clothed after a massage treatment, you will be absolutely fine. It is only photosensitising if used undiluted on the skin prior to going into daylight unprotected, sunbed treatments or sunbathing, but is normally considered a safe essential oil if used in dilution and with care in hot climates.
For your skin, because of its antibacterial properties, Bergamot essential oil is a natural cleanser. It is particularly good for oily skin to help unclog pores and help balance sebum levels to produce glowing-with-health skin.
Latin name: Citrus bergamia
Synonyms: Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia
Plant family: Rutaceae
Extraction: Expression of the peel of the fruit
Some say it came from Asia, others believe it originated in Italy and some think it derived from the Canary Islands. Regardless, it’s certainly been used for centuries for its numerous benefits pertaining to the mind, body and health. Today, Penny Price Aromatherapy source their Bergamot essential oil from Italy.
This small fruit tree is found in abundance in Italy where the fruit peel is made into candied peel. The small greenish yellow fruit are very bitter and inedible raw and produce a light greenish-yellow oil with a sweet citrus/fruity aroma. Bergamot confuses and divides botanical experts due to its strange appearance, because it looks like a cross between a lemon and shrivelled orange, is yellow or green in colour with a slight pear shape.
Traditionally, Bergamot essential oil has been used in Italian folk medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years as a cure to a whole host of conditions, including those related to digestion, skin health and fever. It was also used in Italy for malaria and worms!
Bergamot essential oil is very different chemically from the other expressed essential oils from this family. It is rich in esters and alcohols and is similar to lavender in that it is excellent for eczema and psoriasis. Bergamot is used for stress, digestive problems, infectious wounds, herpes, agitation and loss of appetite, as well as being synergistic with lavender for helping to heal and regenerate burned skin.
Its beautiful aroma blends very well with Lavender, Sandalwood, Geranium and Juniper essential oils and its main chemical constituents are, as I have said, fairly similar to those of lavender in that it is practically 50:50 alcohols and esters. There is 5% of coumarins, the little molecules that help the fruit to ripen when it is growing on the tree by attracting sunlight, and these are responsible for photosensitivity in the oil.
It is easy to boost your mood with any citrus scents, like Bergamot, but Bergamot has the best effect in my opinion for many emotional uplifts and can put a pep in your step. Its smell offers a sunny disposition, lightens a heavy heart, lifts apathy, and encourages confidence.
In fact, PPA conducted research that showed Bergamot could boost confidence and reduce anxiety, particularly in cases like going for an interview or meeting new people for the first time. Just use 4-5 drops in your diffuser, along with the two other oils in the study, Geranium essential oil and Ylang Ylang essential oil.
You can also add one to two drops of bergamot to the palm of your hands, warm in your hands, and inhale deeply through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth one to three times to invigorate and reduce stress.
Penny Price Aromatherapy has several blends including Bergamot essential oil. Two of these products are Nurture Joy, and Dream Rollerball.
This just happens to be my favourite of the Nurture blends I created back in 2003! I just LOVE IT. Nurture Joy is a beautiful, uplifting blend that will bring instant joy to your heart and soul. Used on a daily basis, you will find that daily you become calmer, more joyful and more confident. Apart from Bergamot essential oil, we also use the fragrant Rose Absolute and Eucalyptus Staigeriana (a very beautiful, sweet lemony aroma) essential oils to compliment and hug the Bergamot.
Unwind and relax with this wonderful little rollerball made with the calming, anti-anxiety, confidence-boosting Bergamot essential oil. For minds that can’t switch off after a long day, this blend of 100% natural, pure essential oils and a carrier oil, will help to relax you, giving you a blissful and refreshing night’s sleep. Dream is a blend of essential oils Lavender, Sandalwood, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang and of course, Bergamot essential oils.
Let’s Make Recipes with Bergamot Essential Oil!
You may like to try some of my recipes as below, and if you do, please do give us feedback on how they worked – we love hearing from you!
To boost your confidence and to renew your trust in yourself, in a 10ml dropper bottle use the following recipe:
6ml Bergamot essential oil
2ml Geranium essential oil
2ml Ylang Ylang essential oil
Blend all the oils well in the bottle and push in the dropper cap. Use up to 8 drops at a time in a vaporiser.
For a wonderful little hand cream that will help to keep your spirits up during the day, in a 50ml jar with lid use the following recipe:
48ml Blending Cream
15 drops Bergamot essential oil
8 drops Eucalyptus Staigeriana essential oil
7 drops Lavender True essential oil
In a small basin, put your blending cream in and whisk until really soft. Blend all the oils well into the cream and clean the edges before applying the lid. Use as often as needed during the day, and before you go to bed to help you sleep.
For a beautiful spritz that will help to keep your confidence high, in a 100ml spray bottle use following recipe:
50ml boiled water (cooled)
49ml aloe Vera gel
10 drops Bergamot essential oil
3 drops Lavender True essential oil
2 drops Neroli essential oil
Blend all the oils well in the bottle and attach the spray cap. Spritz whenever your face feels dry and if you need a quick confidence boost.
This is a really great way to start the day, in a 100ml bottle with pump top blend the following recipe:
99ml Shower Gel Base
15 drops Bergamot essential oil
8 drops Sweet Orange Oil essential oil
7 drops Ho Leaf essential oil
Put the bath foam into a small bowl and add the essential oils. Stir really well and then, using a funnel, put the blend into the bottle and apply the lid. This can take some time so be patient! Use a couple of pumps on a sponge and enjoy your shower.
If you want to make a lovely massage oil to keep you cheerful, In a 100ml bottle add the following:
78ml Sunflower Oil (vitamin rich)
10ml Calendula Macerated oil
10ml Sweet Almond Oil
30 drops Bergamot essential oil
20 drops Lavender essential oil
10 drops Eucalyptus Staigeriana essential oil
Blend everything together by shaking well and put the lid on! Use when needed for pure joyful aromatherapy massage.
Cognitive function can be severely hampered by stress-induced anxiety and the lack of confidence that can result. When this happens, the mind can no longer maintain its composure and resilience. Fears, worries, and feelings of inadequacy lend their weight to the stressful outlook, which negatively affects focus and even short-term memory.
Bergamot essential oil is capable of interrupting the cycle of stress and restoring mental function and the capacity to focus. Studies have also shown that aromatherapy using bergamot essential oils can also balance the mood and improve emotional responses.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog. We love to hear from you so do give us feedback on the blog and the recipes, and how they have worked for you or your clients. All the products mentioned are available from www.penny-price.com or you can phone your order through or get advice on 01455 251020. If you are interested in training with us, please call, or email Lizzie on courses@penny-price.com. Thank you for reading! Penny Price X
veronica blasband
February 06, 2023
I find all your blogs very very interesting and instructive. I am an aromatherapist, qualifying in 2018 through the Aromahead Institute so I still have much to learn which is why I love to read your blogs.
One of my favourite essential oils is violet and I am trying to develop a rich night cream with violet, geranium and benzoin essential oils…getting the proportions isn’t easy so it’s taking a lot of trial and error…the base cream is from Rosemary Gladstar’s Perfect cream so makes a lovely soothing base for the essential oils.
Always grateful for any advice you may have!!
Thank you again for your super blogs
Veronica