Litsea Cubeba is a zesty citrus note distilled from the small, pepper-like fruits of Litsea cubeba, an evergreen tree of the laurel family native to southern China and South-East Asia. Its oil is one of the richest natural sources of citral, and it smells intensely of lemon sherbet, with a sweet, fruity and slightly green-herbal edge.

What does Litsea Cubeba smell like?

Litsea is lemon turned up to full brightness: sharp, sweet and candied, like lemon drops or lemon sherbet, with a fruity, almost lemon-balm softness and a faint peppery-green note from the fruit. It has less bitterness and peel oil depth than true lemon, and it lacks the grassy, earthy tone of lemongrass, which is also rich in citral. Its high citral content, typically 70–85% of the oil, makes it powerful and diffusive, so small amounts go a long way.

Where Litsea Cubeba comes from

The fruits are harvested and steam-distilled, yielding around 3–5% essential oil. China dominates production, largely from plantations, with an estimated output of 500–1,500 tonnes a year. The tree grows wild from the eastern Himalaya to Taiwan, Java and Borneo, and the fruit is also used as a spice, especially by Indigenous peoples of Taiwan, who call it maqaw.

• Also known as: May Chang, mountain pepper, aromatic litsea, mujiangzi
• Fragrance family: Citrus
• Type: Natural
• Main origins: China; smaller volumes elsewhere in South-East Asia
• How it's obtained: Steam distillation of the fruits
• Key aroma molecules: Geranial and neral (together citral), limonene

Litsea Cubeba in perfume history

Litsea oil became important to the fragrance and chemical industries as an affordable source of natural citral. Citral is a starting material for synthesising ionones, the molecules behind violet notes, and for vitamin A, so litsea has quietly supported a whole chain of other materials. It became a staple in bar soap and household fragrance thanks to its strength and low cost.

Litsea Cubeba in modern perfumery

Perfumers use litsea to add a sweet, sparkling lemon effect to colognes, citrus fragrances and functional products, and it is popular in natural and aromatherapy-style blends. It is often chosen over lemon oil where a more stable, candied brightness is needed. Its use is limited by regulation rather than supply, because citral is a skin sensitiser.

How Litsea Cubeba wears and what it pairs with

Litsea is a top note with a vivid but fairly short-lived opening, though it lasts longer than most pressed citrus oils. It pairs with ginger, basil, verbena, lemon, grapefruit, green tea, rosemary and cedar.

Safety and regulation

Litsea oil is dominated by citral and also contains limonene and geraniol, all EU-declarable allergens that must be listed above set thresholds. IFRA restricts citral because it can cause skin sensitisation.