Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
A rare, delicate lemon-balm oil valued for its calming aromatic profile — genuine Melissa is scarce and easily adulterated in the market.
How to use it
A drop or two is plenty given its intensity — a bright, calming aroma.
Add in small amounts to facial serums, diluted well (1% or less) in a light carrier oil.
Safety in detail
- Max dermal use
- Dilute low in a carrier oil (citral is a sensitiser)
- Phototoxic
- No
- High in citral, a known skin sensitiser — dilute low and patch-test.
- Genuine melissa is expensive and often adulterated or blended with lemongrass/citronella; buy from a trusted source.
- Not phototoxic. Keep out of reach of children.
Composition & chemistry
Aggregated from 39 GC-MS samples across 16 peer-reviewed open-access studies (2019–2026). Figures are the distribution across those samples — median with interquartile range — not a single reading.
- Oxygenated monoterpene 68.4%
- Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon 22%
- Oxygenated sesquiterpene 4.8%
- Unclassified 2.1%
- Other terpenoid/aromatic 1.2%
- Monoterpene hydrocarbon 0.8%
- Aliphatic / small aromatic 0.7%
| Constituent | Median | Typical range | Max | Detected in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| geranial ↗ C10H16O | 31.0% | 23.7–41.4% | 49.8% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| neral ↗ C10H16O | 22.0% | 19.5–28.9% | 32.5% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| β-caryophyllene ↗ C15H24 | 8.5% | 2.2–17.6% | 27.4% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| citronellal ↗ C10H18O | 4.7% | 2.9–6.4% | 22.2% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| caryophyllene oxide ↗ C15H24O | 4.1% | 2.3–6.3% | 13.2% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| limonene ↗ C10H16 | 2.6% | 0.6–4.3% | 7.4% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| geranyl acetate ↗ C12H20O2 | 2.3% | 1.9–4.0% | 4.8% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| α-humulene ↗ C15H24 | 1.4% | 1.0–3.0% | 4.4% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| geraniol ↗ C10H18O | 1.4% | 0.4–2.3% | 4.9% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| α-copaene ↗ C15H24 | 1.3% | 1.0–2.4% | 3.2% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| linalool ↗ C10H18O | 1.0% | 0.6–1.1% | 5.2% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
| germacrene d ↗ C15H24 | 0.5% | 0.4–2.1% | 9.6% | |
Loading evidence… | ||||
+ 97 more compounds reported across the dataset.
16 peer-reviewed sources behind these figures
- Kowalski R, Gagoś M, Kowalska G, Pankiewicz U, Sujka M, Mazurek A, Nawrocka A. (2019). Effects of Ultrasound Technique on the Composition of Different Essential Oils. Journal of analytical methods in chemistry.
- Farahani F, Shahhoseini R, Hatami M. (2025). Phytochemical, physiological and morphological response of industrial-medicinal plant Melissa officinalis L. to drought stress, nanosilicon and superabsorbent polymer application. BMC plant biology.
- Najafian S, Zeynali R, Hosseinifarahi M. (2025). Putrescine-enhanced essential oil and phytochemicals in Melissa officinalis L. : a sustainable approach. Scientific reports.
- Safaei F, Alirezalu A, Noruzi P, Alirezalu K. (2024). Phytochemical and morpho-physiological response of Melissa officinalis L. to different NH4+ to NO3̄ ratios under hydroponic cultivation. BMC plant biology.
- Özliman S. (2026). Volatile compounds of volatile oils and hydrosols: intra-specific comparison in seven Lamiaceae species. BMC plant biology.
- Bharati R, Gupta A, Novy P, Severová L, Šrédl K, Žiarovská J, Fernández-Cusimamani E. (2023). Synthetic polyploid induction influences morphological, physiological, and photosynthetic characteristics in Melissa officinalis L. Frontiers in plant science.
- Kolouei A, Barati M, Abbas-Mohammadi M. (2025). Investigating the binding potential of the Melissa officinalis oil against Alzheimer's targets by molecular docking and in vitro evaluations. Scientific reports.
- Ganjali M, Rahimi M, Ramezan D, Mohkami Z, Ranjbary AG, Yamchi A. (2025). Effects of enhanced Melissa officinalis essential oil via carrageenan on mitigating aflatoxin b1-induced cytotoxicity in HT-29 and HEK-293 cells. BMC complementary medicine and therapies.
- Lanave G, Catella C, Catalano A, Lucente MS, Pellegrini F, Fracchiolla G, Diakoudi G, Palmisani J, Trombetta CM, Martella V, Camero M. (2024). Assessing the virucidal activity of essential oils against feline calicivirus, a non-enveloped virus used as surrogate of norovirus. Heliyon.
- Nagata T, Satou T, Hayashi S, Satyal P, Watanabe M, Riggs B, Saida Y. (2024). Citral in lemon myrtle, lemongrass, litsea, and melissa essential oils suppress the growth and invasion of breast cancer cells. BMC complementary medicine and therapies.
- Lanave G, Pellegrini F, Triggiano F, De Giglio O, Lucente MS, Diakoudi G, Catella C, Gentile A, Tardugno R, Fracchiolla G, Martella V, Camero M. (2024). In Vitro Virucidal Activity of Different Essential Oils against Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Used as Surrogate of Human Hepatitis C Virus. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland).
- Pei T, Zhao Y, Huang X, Zhao Y, Pan L, Wang L, Gao H, Xu ML, Gao Y. (2024). Chemical Composition of Five Lamiaceae Essential Oils and Their Insecticidal and Phytotoxic Activity. Plants (Basel, Switzerland).
- Ranđelović M, Dimitrijević M, Otašević S, Stanojević L, Išljamović M, Ignjatović A, Arsić-Arsenijević V, Stojanović-Radić Z. (2023). Antifungal Activity and Type of Interaction of Melissa officinalis Essential Oil with Antimycotics against Biofilms of Multidrug-Resistant Candida Isolates from Vulvovaginal Mucosa. Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland).
- Abdellatif F, Akram M, Akram M, Begaa S, Messaoudi M, Benarfa A, Egbuna C, Ouakouak H, Hassani A, Sawicka B, Elbossaty WFM, Simal-Gandara J. (2021). Minerals, Essential Oils, and Biological Properties of Melissa officinalis L. Plants (Basel, Switzerland).
- Rădulescu M, Jianu C, Lukinich-Gruia AT, Mioc M, Mioc A, Șoica C, Stana LG. (2021). Chemical Composition, In Vitro and In Silico Antioxidant Potential of Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis Essential Oil. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland).
- Chindo BA, Howes MR, Abuhamdah S, Yakubu MI, Ayuba GI, Battison A, Chazot PL. (2021). New Insights Into the Anticonvulsant Effects of Essential Oil From Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon Balm). Frontiers in pharmacology.
Every figure above traces to a named table in one of these open-access papers. How this was built →
- Citral (geranial + neral) — the dominant lemony aldehyde pair defining melissa's aroma — and the main constituent to respect for skin sensitisation Industrial Crops and Products study (2014)
Despite the 'lemon' in lemon balm, Melissa's scent isn't really citrus at all.
What the research says
An honest read of the published research — what has actually been studied, at what stage. Not medical advice or a promise of results.
-
Melissa has a long tradition as a calming herb, and its oil is citral- and citronellal-rich. Its relaxation and mood uses are traditional and preliminary rather than clinically established for the essential oil.
Industrial Crops and Products study (2014)
Evidence & sources
Peer-reviewed research on Melissa's chemistry and safety. These describe composition and documented effects — not health or treatment claims.
-
Melissa oil is dominated by citral (geranial + neral) with citronellal — the source of its soft, honeyed-lemon aroma and its citral-related skin caution.
Industrial Crops and Products study (2014)
Frequently asked questions
Why is true melissa oil so expensive?
Melissa (lemon balm) yields a tiny amount of oil per plant, so genuine melissa is one of the priciest oils. Cheap 'melissa' is very often lemongrass or citronella sold under the name — buy from a trusted source. Industrial Crops and Products study (2014)
Is melissa gentle on skin?
It needs care — melissa is high in citral, a known sensitiser. Dilute it low and patch-test before regular use. Industrial Crops and Products study (2014)
Is melissa phototoxic?
No — melissa isn't phototoxic. The main precaution is its citral content, which calls for low dilution.
Gallery
The plant
Melissa officinalis, commonly called lemon balm, is a perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae), native to the Mediterranean basin, southern Europe, and West Asia, and now naturalized in gardens worldwide. Its genus name comes from the Greek word for honeybee — the plant has long attracted bees, and beekeepers once rubbed the crushed leaves inside empty hives to help draw in a swarm. The leaves and flowering tops are the source of the essential oil.
How it’s extracted
Melissa oil is steam-distilled, but the yield is exceptionally low — it can take several hundred pounds of fresh plant material to produce a single ounce of oil. That scarcity is why genuine Melissa ranks among the most expensive single oils in most collections, and why the wider commercial market is notorious for “Melissa” oils quietly cut or fully substituted with cheaper lemongrass or citronella.
Aroma
Despite the “lemon” in lemon balm, Melissa’s scent isn’t really citrus at all. It’s a bright, herbaceous, faintly honeyed aroma with a green undertone — more delicate and complex than lemon peel oil, and easy to tell apart once you’ve smelled the real thing.
Traditional & everyday uses
European herbalists have used lemon balm since antiquity; it turns up in the “Carmelite water” formulas of medieval monasteries and in folk traditions built around calm, unhurried moments. Today it’s mostly diffused — a drop or two is plenty given its intensity — and added in small amounts to facial serums and skin-care blends, where its soft aroma pairs well with a light carrier oil.
Pairs well with
Lavender, geranium, ylang ylang, and other citrus oils tend to complement Melissa’s bright, herbal-green top note without overwhelming it.
Safety & sourcing
Dilute well (1% or less) before any topical use and patch-test first, as with any potent essential oil. Because true Melissa is so costly to produce, buying from a source that can verify origin and purity matters more here than with almost any other single oil — if a “Melissa” oil is priced like a common herb oil, it likely isn’t the real thing.
Found in these blends
Melissa is one of the oils inside 2 Young Living blends.