Organic May Chang Essential Oil

£7.99

100% pure & natural, bottled in the UK
Steam distilled · vegan & cruelty-free
GC/MS tested for purity

Size: 10ml

10ml£7.99

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Blends well with

Ecodrop Atlas Cedarwood essential oil 10ml amber dropper bottle on a white background

Description

Lemon sherbet from a tree: intense, sweet and sparkling.

Ecodrop's organic may chang essential oil is steam-distilled from the small pepper-like berries of Litsea cubeba, the Asian mountain pepper tree, and bottled in the UK. It smells like citrus but it is not a citrus: sweeter than lemongrass, rounder than lemon, and the brightest oil in the kit.

100% pure: single-botanical Litsea cubeba, nothing added, nothing diluted.
Citral-rich: geranial and neral together make up 45 to 78% of the oil, which is where the lemon-sherbet scent comes from.
Not phototoxic: a berry, not a citrus peel, so there are no furocoumarins and no 12-hour sun rule.
UK-bottled: filled and quality-checked in the United Kingdom.
GC/MS tested: every batch lab-checked for purity, see the Documents tab.
Vegan & cruelty-free: kind to skin, animals and the planet.
Available in 10ml: larger volumes available to order.

A few drops lift heavy moods and heavy rooms alike. Brilliant in uplifting blends with lavender or rose geranium, and a maker's favourite because it is the one lemony scent that holds its brightness through soap and candle making.

Benefits

May chang is sunshine concentrate, here's where it brightens:

Mood lifting: one of the most uplifting oils in aromatherapy, heavy rooms don't stand a chance.
Sparkling blends: a drop electrifies lavender and geranium mixes.
Soap & candle making: holds its lemony brightness through saponification, a maker's secret.
Fresh home: clean and zesty in sprays and diffusers.
Oily-skin blends: a traditional clarifying drop, well diluted.

How to use & dilute

Everyday uses

In a diffuser: 2–3 drops, may chang is intense; start low.
Uplift blend: 2 may chang + 3 lavender for bright calm.
Soap making: the citrus that survives the process, follow supplier guidance.
Room spray: 6–8 drops in 100 ml of water, shaken before use.
Skin blend: 0.5–1% for oilier skin, patch test first.

How to dilute

Body use: 0.5–1%, rich in citral, it can tingle like lemongrass.
Face: 0.5% maximum, patch tested.
Never apply neat: always mix with a carrier oil.

Specification

Technical information

Botanical name: Litsea cubeba
INCI: Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, CAS 68855-99-2 / 90063-59-5, EC 290-018-7
Plant part: Fruit (the small pepper-like berries)
Extraction: Steam distillation
Country of origin: Australia
Main constituents: geranial 24.8 to 43%, neral 20.2 to 35% (citral is the two combined, so 45 to 78% of the oil), limonene 2.3 to 18%, citronellal up to 7%, alpha-pinene 1 to 5%, linalool up to 3.3%, 1,8-cineole up to 1.7%
Aroma: Bright, lemony, sweet, fruity, like lemon sherbet
Note: Top
Consistency: Thin
Colour: Pale yellow to yellow
Relative density at 25C: 0.882 to 0.905
Refractive index at 20C: 1.475 to 1.490
Flash point: 68.3C closed cup, so not classed as a flammable liquid
Shelf life: Best within 12 months of opening
Storage: Cool and dark, cap tightly closed. The supplier's data sheet asks for below 15C, which is cooler than most oils need

Bottled in the UK

Safety Precautions

External use only: essential oils are never to be swallowed.
Citral-rich, so dilute low: citral makes up 45 to 78% of this oil. Tisserand and Young put the maximum for skin at 0.8%, which is roughly 5 drops in 30ml of carrier. Patch test first; sensitive skin may tingle.
Not phototoxic: may chang smells like citrus but it is not a citrus. It is a berry from a Lauraceae tree, with no furocoumarins and no 12-hour sun rule.
Eyes: avoid contact with eyes and sensitive areas.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: check with a qualified healthcare professional before use.
Children & pets: store out of reach; diffuse in ventilated rooms pets can leave. Strong citral oils bother cats in particular.
Storage: keep cool and away from direct sunlight; the supplier asks for below 15C.

This information is general guidance, not medical advice.

Documents

The paperwork for our organic may chang essential oil, free to download:

Safety Data Sheet (SDS): Download PDF (full CLP classification and a 15-constituent composition table with measured ranges)

Batch GC/MS, allergen declaration and IFRA certificate are available on request, and with any bulk order.

Organic May Chang Essential Oil

£7.99

Aromatherapy, considered

Why you'll love it

Bright & lemony

Sunshine in a drop

Fresh, sweet and zesty, like ripe lemons with a floral edge. Diffuse to lift the mood and freshen up any space.

Clean & cheerful

Freshen the day

Great for clearing stale air in kitchens and bathrooms. Add a few drops to a diffuser, or to an unscented cleaning spray.

GET CREATIVE

Essential Oil Uses

Organic May Chang Essential Oil

Your questions, answered

Is this may chang oil pure?

Yes, 100% pure Litsea cubeba, nothing added or diluted, bottled in the UK and GC/MS tested.

What does may chang smell like?

Lemon sherbet. It is the sweetest and roundest of the lemony oils: brighter and fruitier than lemon peel, without the green, grassy edge of lemongrass, and with a faint floral lift underneath.

That comes from citral, which is 45 to 78% of this oil and is the molecule your nose reads as "lemon". It is a top note, so it arrives first and fades fastest, which is why a drop or two is usually enough.

Is may chang safe around pets?

Strong citral oils bother cats especially, ventilated rooms with an exit, never applied to animals, bottles out of reach.

Is may chang good as an insect repellent?

Yes, and it is an underrated one. May chang is citral-led, the same dominant molecule as lemongrass, which is what citronella candles and garden sprays are built on. It smells brighter and sweeter than lemongrass, closer to a sherbet lemon, so it is the easier of the two to use indoors.

What it is used for

Mosquitoes and midges: the main use. 15 drops in 100ml of water with a teaspoon of witch hazel, or 2% in a carrier oil for skin.
Flies: diffused in a kitchen, where it doubles as a very good air freshener.
Ants: wiped along thresholds, like lemon and pine.

If you already use lemongrass outdoors, may chang is the one to try indoors for the same effect without the sharp green edge. The two blend together well, and either one pairs naturally with geranium and lavender.

Citral can sensitise skin, so keep it to 1 to 2% in a carrier oil, patch test, and do not use it neat. Keep it away from cats.

What is may chang essential oil good for?

Three things, mostly:

Lifting a heavy room or a heavy mood. It is one of the most reliably uplifting oils in aromatherapy, and two drops change the feel of a space.
Soap and candle making. Most citrus scents fade through saponification; may chang holds, which is why makers use it where they would rather use lemon.
Freshening kitchens and bathrooms, in a diffuser or an unscented cleaning spray.

Well diluted, it is also a traditional clarifying drop in blends for oilier skin.

What does may chang blend well with?

May chang brightens almost anything it is put next to. Three blends worth copying:

Bright calm: 2 drops may chang, 4 drops lavender.
Rosy sparkle: 1 drop may chang, 3 drops rose geranium, 1 drop cedarwood.
Sharp morning: 2 drops may chang, 3 drops rosemary, 1 drop peppermint.

Keep it to one or two drops in a blend. It is loud, and it will take over a mix if you let it.

May chang vs lemongrass vs lemon: what is the difference?

All three are citral oils and all three read as "lemon", but they are not interchangeable:

Lemon is pressed from the peel: juicy, zesty, a little bitter, and phototoxic.
Lemongrass is sharp, green and grassy, with a hay-like edge.
May chang is the sweetest and roundest of the three, closer to lemon sherbet, and the one perfumers reach for.

Neither may chang nor lemongrass is phototoxic. Lemon is.

Why do soap makers love may chang?

Most citrus scents fade in cold-process soap; may chang's lemony brightness survives beautifully, the maker community's worst-kept secret.

Ordering from outside the UK? We're here to help.

Everything you need to know about delivery, customs and returns when ordering from outside the UK. Check out the most common questions, and if yours isn't here, just ask.

Customer service: Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 17:00We usually reply within 24 hours

Contact us

Do you ship to Europe and worldwide?

Yes, we post from our UK warehouse to all EU countries, plus the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, the UAE, Japan, Singapore and more. If your country isn't offered at checkout, email us and we'll see what we can do.

How much is international delivery?

Flat and simple:

European Union: £8.99
USA & rest of the world: £11.99
United Kingdom: free over £40, otherwise £3.99

Will I have to pay customs or import fees?

Possibly, yes, and we'd rather tell you upfront. Orders delivered outside the UK can be charged local VAT, import duty or a courier handling fee on arrival. These charges are set by your country, not by us, and are paid by the customer. They're usually modest for small parcels, but we can't predict the exact amount.

Can I return an order from outside the UK?

Yes, you have 30 days from delivery, as long as the items are unopened and unused (a hygiene rule for oils). Return postage is at your cost, and we refund you in full within 3 to 5 working days of receiving the parcel. Just email us your order number first.

What if something arrives damaged or wrong?

That's on us, wherever you are in the world. Email a photo and your order number to support@ecodrop.co.uk and we'll send a replacement or a refund straight away, and we cover the postage.

Still unsure about ordering from abroad?

Ask us anything. We're a small UK team and a real person answers every message, usually within 24 hours. Write to support@ecodrop.co.uk or use the contact form. We're happy to help before you order, not just after.

Customer service: Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 17:00We usually reply within 24 hours

Contact us

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6 min read

Organic May Chang Essential Oil

Everyday uses

How to dilute

Technical information

Why you'll love it

Sunshine in a drop

Freshen the day

Essential Oil Uses

Your questions, answered

What it is used for

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