Expression
Expression extracts aromatic oil mechanically from citrus peel. Learn how pressing differs from distillation and why expressed oil differs from fruit juice.
Updated
Expression is mechanical extraction of aromatic oil from citrus peel. Equipment breaks the peel’s oil-bearing structures, then separates the released oil from water, juice and solid material. It is also called cold expression or cold pressing.
The scent comes from the peel oil, not from squeezing the fruit’s juice into a perfume. Bergamot, orange and lemon are familiar sources of expressed oils, though distilled and further-processed citrus materials also exist.
The extraction name explains how the material was obtained. It does not guarantee a particular wear time, a complete match to freshly cut peel or suitability for undiluted use.
- Cold pressed
- A common label for mechanically expressed citrus oil; it distinguishes the method from distillation.
- Peel oil
- The aromatic oil held in structures in a citrus fruit’s outer rind.
- Juice
- The fruit’s watery liquid. It is separated from the aromatic oil rather than serving as the perfume ingredient described here.
- Separation
- Processing such as centrifuging removes much of the water and solid material from the recovered oil.
- Distilled citrus oil
- Citrus aromatic material obtained through distillation. Citrus oils are not all expressed.
- Further processing
- An expressed oil may be refined or fractionated. Check the exact material specification rather than inferring its composition from the fruit name.