What Is Citronella Oil?

Citronella essential oil is obtained from the Cymbopogon genus plant family. More precisely, it is extracted through steam distillation of the grasses Cymbopogon nardus (Jowitt) and Cymbopogon winterianus (Rendal). This results in two types of citronella oil

• Ceylon, which is obtained from C. nardus and is a native product of Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon). Ceylon citronella oil has a warm, citrusy, and wood scent, and has a pale to dark yellow color.
• Java, which is distilled from C. winterianus. It also has a fresh lemon-like scent but is darker in color. Between the two, java citronella is considered the one with the higher quality.

Uses of Citronella Oil

Citronella oil is popularly used as an insect repellent. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies it as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action.

How Does Citronella Oil Work?

While citronella oil helps prevent mosquito bites, it does not kill mosquitoes. It only repels these insects by blocking the scent that attracts these bugs, causing them to become disoriented.