Lemongrass oil |

Last updated: 25/08/2025
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(Also known as: oil of lemongrass; Indian melissa oil; lemongrass extract; Cymbopogon Citratus leaf oil ) |
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. These hazard alerts do not take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus do not represent risk.
Environmental fate |
Ecotoxicity |
Human health |
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A plant essential oil derived from plants within the Cymbopogan species used for control of fungal infections and general insect control |
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Post-harvest storage diseases; General insect control including mosquito, leafroller, looper |
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Storage crops |
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Class: Magnoliopsida; Order: Poales; Family: Poaceae |
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Not approved |
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Not applicable |
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No UK approval for use as a plant protection agent |
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414) |
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Not approved |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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Yes |
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ATAustria |
BEBelgium |
BGBulgaria |
CYCyprus |
CZCzech Republic |
DEGermany |
DKDenmark |
EEEstonia |
ELGreece |
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ESSpain |
FIFinland |
FRFrance |
HRCroatia |
HUHungary |
IEIreland |
ITItaly |
LTLithuania |
LULuxembourg |
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LVLatvia |
MTMalta |
NLNetherlands |
PLPoland |
PTPortugal |
RORomania |
SESweden |
SISlovenia |
SKSlovakia |
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ISIceland |
NONorway |
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Production of the oil produces a racemic mixture of citral. The E-isomer is known as citral A and the Z-isomer as citral B or neral. |
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No |
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Fungicide; Insecticide. Semiochemical |
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Plant-derived substance; Plant oil |
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Natural; Complex mixture |
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Non-toxic mode of action |
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Lemongrass oil is derived from several different species including Cymbopogan flexuosus, C. citratus and C. pendulus |
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Storage quality; General pest management |
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Post-harvest storage diseases, General insect control including mosquito, leafroller, looper |
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Post-harvest storage diseases, General insect control including mosquito, leafroller, looper |
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8007-02-1 |
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040502 |
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lemongrass oil |
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FEMA=2624; FLAVIS=16.044; USEPA minimum risk pesticide |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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Orange-yellow coloured liquid with strong lemony odour |
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Current |
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late 20th century, informal use recorded |
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- EcoSMART Technologies
- MGK (McLaughlin Gormley King), USA
- Biogents AG, Germany
- Gramme Products
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- EcoSMART Organic Insect Killer
- Nature-Cide All-Purpose
- MGK Botanical Insecticide Line
- Lemongrass Oil
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Available as ready-to-use sprays, liquid concentrates and emulsifiable concentrates |
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Commercial production of lemongrass oil involves cultivating species such as Cymbopogon citratus or Cymbopogon flexuosus. The grass is propagated through slips and harvested multiple times a year, typically when the oil content is highest, just before the stems become woody. After harvesting, the fresh or partially dried leaves are subjected to steam distillation, the standard method for extracting the essential oil, which is rich in citral. The oil is then filtered, tested for citral content and solubility in alcohol, and packaged for use. |
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Data for specific plant oils is scarce. However, from publicly available data the carbon footprint of plant oils has been estimated at between 1.0 and 4.0 kg CO₂e per kg of oil. This depends on the plant oil content, agricultural practices and processing methods used. |
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Miscible |
Mineral oil |
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Miscible |
Ether |
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Miscible |
Methanol |
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229 |
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72.8 |
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0.9 |
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Readily biodegradable |
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As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below. |
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Soil adsorption and mobility |
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None
Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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> 5000 |
Rat |
Low |
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4.1 |
Oryzias latipes |
Moderate |
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27.0 |
Daphnia magna |
Moderate |
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HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION |
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> 5000 |
Rat |
Low |
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2000 |
Rabbit |
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Carcinogen |
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Endocrine disruptor |
XNo, known not to cause a problem |
A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; E3 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 3 = Negative |
No data found |
Reproduction / development effects |
Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor |
Neurotoxicant |
XNo, known not to cause a problem |
No data found |
No data found |
Respiratory tract irritant |
Skin irritant |
Skin sensitiser |
?Possibly, status not identified |
?Possibly, status not identified |
?Possibly, status not identified |
Eye irritant |
Phototoxicant |
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?Possibly, status not identified |
No data found |
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No information available |
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Not explosive or oxidising Highly flammable IMDG Transport Hazard Class 9 |
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Health: H315, H317, H318 Environment: H411 |
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Not listed (Not listed) |
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Packaging group III (minor danger) |
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lemongrass oil |
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Record last updated: |
25/08/2025 |
Contact: |
aeru@herts.ac.uk |
Please cite as: |
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242 |