Ingredient

Organic Blood Orange Oil

Citrus sinensis

Made from blood oranges, this organic oil has a cheerful, acidulous scent that immediately lifts the spirits and gives a delicious flavour to lip care products. On the skin, this oil is known to be antimicrobial, toning and astringent, leaving the skin looking plumped and refreshed. 

Blood oranges and sweet oranges are closely related as they’re part of the same hybrid group called Citrus x sinensis. Distilled or pressed to obtain their essential oils, they have very similar scents and properties.

What makes blood oranges so special is the presence of pigments called anthocyanins that give them a red colour. These develop in the pulp and rind on cold nights, although the fruit also needs a warm temperature to grow. This is why they thrive under the Mediterranean climate, particularly suited to their needs.

The main constituent of oranges is limonene, a zesty aromatic compound. Citrus scents are often considered uplifting and refreshing, but the sweetness of oranges tends to be so cheerful that it actually promotes rest. You feel good, therefore you relax.

Lush purchase this essential oil from a distiller in Sicily, Italy. They collect fruits from smallholding farmers who grow them organically. The fields appear almost wild, with grass growing between the trees, plant ‘companions’ blossoming around to deter pests (such as marigolds or petunias), and with other tree species protecting the orchard from the wind.