Although essential oils are natural and safe used correctly, they are powerful and, in some cases, should be used with caution.  One example of this is the list of essential oils that is known to cause a reaction called phototoxicity.

Phototoxicity happens when chemical elements in essential oils (or other substances) bind to the DNA in the skin and react when they are exposed to UV light.  This can lead to phototoxic burns which can appear up to 24 hours after being out in sunlight or using a tanning bed.  

These burns can be serious, and skin discoloration can for months.  The most common essential oils for phototoxic reactions are oils that come from citrus fruits, but while they are the main perpetrators, they are not the only culprits.  Also, steam distilled oils are less likely to cause a problem than cold pressed and expressed oils.  Some, such as sweet orange, are safer than others like lime or bergamot, but blending them increases the risk.

Avoiding phototoxicity

Inhaling your essential oils eliminates the risk of burns due to phototoxicity, so switch to a diffuser in the summer months and avoid using bergamot, lime, and other citrus oils topically while the sun’s UV rays are strongest.  If you do have to use them topically, there are a few ways to minimize risk of a reaction;

·       Use non-phototoxic oils, like steam-distilled bergamot instead of expressed bergamot.

·       Cover all areas of skin that have come into contact with essential oils, and keep it protected from the sun or any other UV exposure for at least 24 hours after application.

·       Bear in mind that combining oils that contain phototoxic constituents, including safer oils like sweet orange and mandarin, makes them more likely to cause a phototoxic reaction.  It’s best to use non-phototoxic oils topically, or even at all, if you’re concerned about a reaction.

The risk of phototoxic reaction doesn’t apply to oils used in a product that is either not applied to the body or is washed off the skin afterwards, like shampoo or soap.  Essential oils can stick to the skin if they are used in a sauna or steam room, however, covering the areas where the oils have been applied also minimizes any risk.

Essential oils that can be phototoxic*

• Angelica Root Essential Oil

• Bergamot (Cold Pressed)

• Bitter Orange (Cold Pressed)

• Cumin

• Fig Leaf Absolut

• Grapefruit (Cold Pressed)

• Lemon (Cold Pressed)

• Lime (Cold Pressed)

• Mandarin Lea

• Opopana

• Tagetes

Essential oils that can sometimes be phototoxic

• Clementine (Cold Pressed

• Combava Fruit

• Skimmi

• Angelica Root Absolut

• Angelica Root CO

• Celery Lea

• Celery Seed Absolute

• Cumin Seed Absolut

• Cumin Seed CO2

• Khella

• Lovage Leaf

• Parsnip

Citrus oils not usually considered to be phototoxic

• Bergamot FCF (because FCF Has the Bergaptene / Furanocoumarins Removed

• Bergamot (Steam Distilled)

• Blood Orange (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled)

• Lemon (Steam Distilled

• Lime (Steam Distilled

• Mandarin (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled

• Sweet Orange (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled

• Petitgrain

• Mandarin

• Satsuma (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled

• Tangelo (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled)

• Tangerine (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled)

• Yuzu Oil (Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled)

*Source for the Above Bulleted Lists: Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition.  United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 85, 87, 370-371.

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