Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) Essential Oil: Purpose, Usage Rate & Method

Lemon is not the only thing in nature that smells of lemon. Litsea cubeba — widely known in the trade as may chang — is a small tree from the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to southern China and South-East Asia. Its scent is obtained from the fruit: tiny pepper-like seeds steam-distilled to yield a sharp, bright, lightly fruity lemon note. It lacks the oily sweetness of a cold-pressed citrus peel; the impression is cleaner, more vertical, more "wet" in its luminosity.

The backbone of the scent is citral (the geranial + neral pair). Litsea cubeba is one of the richest natural sources of citral in existence; these two isomers make up the majority of its composition. Limonene, citronellal and small amounts of linalool round out the profile. This chemical picture tells you two things at once: the scent is very bright, but it is also highly volatile and prone to oxidation.

When the top note evaporates, the next layer takes the stage — for litsea, that sentence runs in reverse. It is the evaporating layer. Litsea's job is the first fifteen minutes; it opens the composition, offers a greeting, and retreats. Longevity is determined by the structure beneath it, not by litsea's own concentration.

Litsea cubeba is the first solution that comes to mind whenever a formula calls for a "natural lemon note." But its role extends beyond delivering a single scent: it also governs the opening speed of a composition, shapes the perception of freshness, and lifts the heaviness of some dense base materials.

1. Top note in fine perfumery. Used in the opening of cologne, citrus–aromatic, fougère and green-tea accords. Placed alongside bergamot it adds sharpness; alongside lemon it adds depth. Used alone it gives a composition a distinct "natural soap" character.

2. Accord builder. Think of litsea not as a raw material but as the bright tip of an accord — a balanced blend of materials that creates a single unified scent impression. With ginger and cardamom it builds a spicy-fresh opening; with petitgrain and rosemary, an aromatic-cologne character; with jasmine, a tropical-floral entry. A drop over vetiver or cedarwood moistens a woody heart and cuts through dustiness.

3. Mask for heavy materials. Plant extracts, some natural resins and fixed oils can carry an unpleasant raw odour. A low level of litsea does not suppress that raw character — it polishes the surface above it. This is its most common role in natural cosmetics.

4. Soap, shampoo and cleansing products. In rinse-off applications it is a cost-effective, high-impact freshness source. One warning is essential here: citral is unstable at high pH. In cold-process soap, yellowing and scent loss are common outcomes. In soap formulas, do not use litsea alone — anchor it with more stable partners (petitgrain, lavandin, compatible synthetic citrus molecules).

5. Ambient scenting and the aromatherapy tradition. In a diffuser it is a well-loved note associated with a sense of freshness and ease. A note of caution on language: litsea cubeba is associated in traditional use with feelings of freshness and relaxation; no claim can be made that it treats or cures any condition. This article does not constitute medical advice.

6. Industrial raw material source. Litsea cubeba is one of the world's most widely used natural starting materials for citral production and for the synthesis of ionones derived from it (violet/woody molecules). In that sense it is always present in perfumery, if indirectly.

Litsea cubeba is powerful. Its odour threshold is low and its diffusion is high. The most common mistake beginners make is wanting a "natural lemon" and drowning the formula in litsea, ending up with a product that smells of lemonade detergent. Start low.

The table below gives practical starting ranges by application. These are starting points, not absolute rules. Test the final rate in your own formula and verify IFRA compliance against the certificate of your fragrance oil or essential oil.

Litsea Cubeba, Lemon or Lemongrass?

All three are labelled "lemony," yet their behaviour in a formula diverges considerably.

Grams or Millilitres?

Always build your formula by weight (g). The specific gravity of Litsea cubeba is approximately 0.88–0.90 g/ml; that means 10 ml of the oil weighs roughly 8.8–9.0 g. Heavy resins and some synthetics exceed 1.10 g/ml, while citrus oils drop to around 0.84. If you record only volumes without converting, you will try to fill a 50 ml bottle with 50 g — and either overflow it or come up short. Calculate the final fill volume using the density of each ingredient.

Step-by-Step: Alcohol-Based Perfume

Litsea cubeba demands care not because it is natural but because it is high in citral. The most widespread misconception in the industry arises here: the statement "natural is safe" is false. Some of the allergens most tightly restricted by IFRA (citral, eugenol, oakmoss) are found in the highest concentrations in natural essential oils. By contrast, certain pure synthetics are almost entirely unproblematic from an allergy standpoint. What matters is not the source but the molecule and the level of use.

IFRA and citral. Citral is listed as a restricted substance in IFRA standards, with different ceilings applied depending on product category (leave-on / rinse-off). The limit does not look at the total fragrance concentration — it looks at the amount of citral that litsea contributes and at which category the product falls into. The calculation is: citral percentage in litsea × litsea rate in the formula = citral level in the finished product. Verify this figure against the IFRA compliance statement and analytical certificate (GC/MS) from your supplier. Do not rely on generalisations such as "any natural oil is safe up to 3%."

Allergen declaration. Under European cosmetics legislation, citral and limonene are fragrance allergens that must be declared separately in the ingredients list when they exceed certain thresholds. Every formulator using litsea needs the data to make that calculation.

Neat application is not permitted. Litsea cubeba must not be applied to skin undiluted. Dilute in a carrier oil (jojoba, sweet almond, apricot kernel, fractionated coconut). Before first use, carry out a patch test: apply a small amount of the diluted blend to the inside of the forearm, wait 24–48 hours, and discontinue use if redness or itching occurs.

Oxidation. As citral oxidises, both the scent deteriorates (sharp, metallic, "old lemon" character) and its sensitisation potential increases. Shelf life therefore deserves serious attention: keep tightly sealed in dark glass, in a cool, dark location. Aim to use up an opened bottle within 1–2 years; in a half-empty bottle air contact increases — decant into smaller bottles.

Pregnancy, infants and children. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, and for infants and young children, consult a healthcare professional before using essential oils. Do not run a diffuser continuously in an enclosed room where babies are present.

Pets. Cats metabolise citrus-type essential oil components differently from humans; avoid intensive diffusion of citrus-character oils, including litsea, in spaces where cats are present. Bear in mind that tea tree oil is considered toxic for cats — the same caution applies here.

Not a food product. Litsea cubeba comes from a plant also used in the food flavouring industry. However, fragrance oils and essential oils sold for cosmetic/perfumery purposes are not food products; they are not edible or drinkable. Do not ingest, and do not advise others to ingest, any raw material that is not sold as food grade and clearly marketed for consumption.

Product notification. If you intend to place a cosmetic product containing litsea on the market, the procedural side (company registration with the ÜTS system and product notification steps) and the liability side (responsible person/manufacturer obligations, safety assessment report) are separate matters. ÜTS company registration and product notification are subject to official fees; cost is not limited to the safety assessment alone. For current procedures, fee amounts and penalties, refer to the applicable announcements published by TİTCK.

Litsea cubeba is an inexpensive, powerful and rewarding raw material. Used at the right rate it shines like the most expensive note in the formula; used at the wrong rate it collapses an entire composition into a single smell. Below are the questions most frequently encountered in the workshop, with short, actionable answers.

Three quick tips: First, add litsea to your formula last and increase in 0.1 g increments. Second, to soften its sharpness place a material carrying linalool alongside it (ho wood, petitgrain, lavender) — the "spikiness" that citral creates on its own is broken. Third, the moment you buy a stock bottle, stick on a date label — the oxidation clock starts on day one.

For the current batch, analytical data and packaging options for this material, visit its page on esans.com.tr; the articles on thyme oil and tea tree oil in the same series also complement the logic of essential oil dilution with different examples.