Combava / Kaffir Lime Peel

Combava is often expected to smell like the crushed leaf. The peel oil does not carry the leaf's citronellal. It is a limonene-led oil, closer to a sharp lime with a green, slightly spicy edge. The common English name kaffir lime is now widely replaced by makrut lime.

01 · Origin

Citrus hystrix is a thorny citrus of tropical South-East Asia. The fruit is small, green and deeply wrinkled, with little juice. This oil is distilled from the peel of wild trees in Thailand.

02 · Chemistry

Limonene leads. Beta-pinene and sabinene follow, with terpinen-4-ol, alpha-terpineol and gamma-terpinene. The alcohols are present in higher proportion than in most citrus peel oils and account for its herbaceous, slightly woody finish.

03 · In Practice

Sharp, zesty and green, with a peppery, terpenic edge. A top note. Diffusion, room preparations, natural perfumery and massage blends. Distilled citrus oils carry a different profile from pressed ones, and the two are worth separating in study. The leaf oil, Petitgrain Combava (No. 2455), makes a direct comparison. Blends with lemongrass, ginger, coriander, geranium, cedarwood and vetiver.

General information: For external use only. Dilute before applying to skin. Keep away from heat and sunlight. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes.