Citron is a citrus note from Citrus medica, a large, thick-skinned fruit that is one of the original ancestral citrus species. In perfume, especially in French and Italian houses where it is called cédrat or cedro, it smells like a softer, sweeter and more aromatic lemon, with a delicate floral zest.

What does Citron smell like?

Citron peel is intensely fragrant, but the fruit has little juice, so the note smells more of rind than of sour fruit. It resembles lemon but is rounder and gentler, with a slightly sweet, candied facet, a mild bitterness and hints of green pith. Many perfumers treat cédrat as a luxurious, less acidic lemon, and the note in finished fragrances is often a blend of lemon and citral-rich materials tuned to that effect, since pure citron oil is scarce.

Where Citron comes from

Citron is thought to originate in the region around north-eastern India and southern China, and it was the first citrus to reach the Mediterranean in antiquity. Today it is grown mainly in southern Italy, Corsica, Greece and Israel, often for candied peel and for the etrog used in the Jewish festival of Sukkot, rather than for oil.

• Also known as: Cédrat, cedro, etrog
• Fragrance family: Citrus
• Type: Natural and synthetic (often an accord)
• Main origins: Italy, Corsica, Greece, Israel
• How it's obtained: Cold expression of the peel in small volumes; frequently reconstructed
• Key aroma molecules: Limonene, gamma-terpinene, citral

Citron in perfume history

Citron has one of the oldest histories of any citrus in Europe: classical Greek writers described it as the Median or Persian apple, and it was valued for its scent long before lemons and oranges arrived. For centuries it was used to perfume clothes and rooms and to make candied peel. In modern perfumery cédrat became a favourite in French colognes and men's fragrances, where it provided a refined citrus opening.

Citron in modern perfumery

Citron is used today mainly in niche colognes and luxury citrus fragrances, where the name cédrat or cedro suggests something more exclusive than lemon. Because real citron oil is costly and hard to source, perfumers generally recreate it. Confusingly, cédrat is sometimes mixed up with cedar in translation; in perfume notes it always means the citrus fruit.

How Citron wears and what it pairs with

Citron behaves as a bright top note that fades within the first hour, though its sweeter facets can make it feel slightly softer and longer-lasting than lemon. It pairs with bergamot, lemon, neroli, mint, basil, ginger, vetiver and musk.

Safety and regulation

Expressed citrus peel oils can contain phototoxic furocoumarins, and IFRA limits these in leave-on products. Limonene and citral are EU-declarable allergens.