Now foods 100% Pure Essential Oil Citronella

NOW Foods Citronella Oil is 100% pure and natural, and steam distilled from fresh and dried citronella grass. NOW Foods Citronella Oil has an unmistakably strong aroma that hints of citrus, and is reminiscent of summer evenings on the patio. Despite being most commonly known as a natural insect deterrent, it can also be found in many soaps, shampoos and lotions.

• Cymbopogon winterianus
• Ingredients: 100% pure citronella oil
• Aroma: Pungent, musky, citrus-like
• Attributes: Clarifying, freshening, purifying
• Mixes Well With: Cedarwood oil, lavender oil, lemon oil, or lemongrass oil
• Extraction Method: Steam Distilled from fresh and dried citronella grass

What are essential oils?
Essential Oils are the naturally occurring volatile oils obtained by steam distillation or cold pressing (expression), having the characteristic aroma of the plant part from which it was derived. These 100% pure oils are "neat", meaning they have not been processed, diluted or manipulated in any way with solvents or other additives. Although a particular species of plant harvested and distilled for its essential oil during a particular growing season in a specific region may produce a fragrance that differs from the same species grown in a different region, many of the main chemical markers and physical specifications may be very similar. NOW's citrus fruit essential oils are 100% cold pressed. NOW's other essential oils are typically 100% steam distilled.

Do essential oils have a grading system to tell me which is better?
There is no official grading system that grades essential oils as A, B, C or Therapeutic grade. All NOW 100% pure essential oils are accurately labeled as such and are the highest purity and quality available.

Are NOW essential oils pure or do they have anything added to them?
All of NOW 100% pure essential oils are labeled as such. NOW also sells clearly labeled oil blends that are formulated with essential oils or absolute extracts and another oil as a base, usually pure grapeseed oil. Natural Essential Oils by their very nature will vary slightly from season to season. NOW allows nature to take its course and do not add isolated compounds to the oil to try to standardize the naturally occurring variations of a particular oil. NOW takes both the organoleptic (sight, smell and taste) and chemical properties into account when selecting and testing NOW essential oils.

Essential Oils are mixtures of aromatic chemicals present in plant material such as leaves, buds, flowers, fruit, bark, root, or wood, and are comprised of various terpenes, acids, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, and ketones. Nearly all essential oils are obtained by physical means, with most essential oils obtained by the process of steam distillation of plant materials, and Citrus Oils by the process of "cold pressing" of the fruit. There are a few essential oils obtained using chemical solvent extractions. These products are termed "concretes" and "absolutes", and are identified as such on the label. This discussion will center on the physical processes of steam distillation and cold pressing.