Lemon Myrtle: Australia's Native Beauty & Wellness Ingredient

Discover lemon myrtle in Australian skincare and wellness — its citrus aroma, cosmetic use, essential oil, sensitive-skin considerations and how to choose well-formulated products.

2026-09-08·11 min·By SuperBeauty Editorial·Share

Lemon myrtle is one of Australia's most recognisable native botanicals.

Known for its intensely fresh citrus aroma, this Australian plant has found its way into skincare, body care, essential oils, teas and wellness products — bringing a distinctly local ingredient to modern beauty and self-care rituals.

But what exactly is lemon myrtle, why is it used in beauty products, and what should you look for when choosing one?

What Is Lemon Myrtle?

Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a native Australian plant traditionally found in the subtropical rainforests of Queensland.

Its leaves contain aromatic oils with an exceptionally strong lemon scent, largely associated with a naturally occurring compound called citral.

Unlike lemons, lemon myrtle isn't a citrus fruit.

It's a native tree whose fragrant leaves are harvested and used in everything from food and tea to soaps, lotions, cleansers and essential oils.

Why Is Lemon Myrtle Used in Skincare?

Lemon myrtle has become popular in Australian skincare partly because it combines native botanical heritage with a distinctive sensory experience.

Its fresh fragrance works particularly well in products designed for cleansing and refreshing the skin.

You'll commonly find lemon myrtle in:

• Facial and body cleansers
• Hand washes
• Soaps
• Body lotions
• Body scrubs
• Deodorants
• Bath products
• Essential-oil blends
• Spa and wellness products

The experience is often as important as the ingredient itself: lemon myrtle's bright aroma can make an everyday shower or skincare routine feel more like a wellness ritual.

Lemon Myrtle and the Skin

Lemon myrtle is often promoted for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, although the benefits of a finished skincare product depend heavily on its formulation and concentration.

That distinction matters.

Research into an isolated botanical compound doesn't automatically mean a cleanser, cream or serum containing that botanical will produce the same effect on your skin.

For everyday beauty use, it's better to consider lemon myrtle as one component of the overall formulation rather than a miracle active ingredient.

What Does Lemon Myrtle Smell Like?

Imagine the brightness of freshly cut lemon, but greener, sharper and more botanical.

Lemon myrtle has a powerful citrus aroma despite not being a citrus plant.

That makes it particularly attractive for morning showers, body products and spa rituals where fragrance forms part of the experience.

If you love clean, citrus-forward scents, lemon myrtle is one of the most distinctive Australian botanicals to explore.

Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil

Lemon myrtle essential oil is much more concentrated than products simply containing lemon myrtle extract.

That means it should be treated differently.

Pure essential oils generally shouldn't be applied directly to the skin without appropriate formulation or dilution, and highly fragranced ingredients can irritate sensitive skin.

For skincare, choosing a professionally formulated product is generally more sensible than experimenting with concentrated essential oil yourself.

Is Lemon Myrtle Good for Sensitive Skin?

Not necessarily.

"Natural" doesn't automatically mean gentle.

Because lemon myrtle's aromatic compounds can be potent, people with sensitive or reactive skin should pay particular attention to the overall formulation.

If you're trying a new leave-on product, patch testing it first is a sensible precaution.

And if fragrance regularly irritates your skin, a fragrance-free product may still be the better choice regardless of how appealing the botanical ingredient sounds.

How to Choose a Lemon Myrtle Skincare Product

Look Beyond the Front Label

"Lemon Myrtle" might appear prominently on the packaging while being present only in a relatively small quantity.

Check the ingredient list and consider the complete formulation rather than choosing a product purely because it contains a native botanical.

Match the Product to Your Skin

A lemon myrtle cleanser, body wash and face cream serve very different purposes.

Choose according to what your skin actually needs rather than simply looking for the highest concentration of the ingredient.

Consider Fragrance Sensitivity

Lemon myrtle's aroma is one of its greatest attractions, but strongly aromatic products won't suit everyone.

Choose Established Formulations

With concentrated botanical ingredients and essential oils, more isn't necessarily better.

A well-formulated finished product is generally preferable to applying concentrated botanical oils directly to your skin.

Beyond Skincare

Lemon myrtle's appeal extends well beyond the bathroom cabinet.

Tea

Dried lemon myrtle leaves are commonly used to create aromatic herbal teas with a distinctive lemon flavour.

Food

The leaves can be dried and ground for use as a native Australian flavouring in both sweet and savoury foods.

Aromatherapy & Home Fragrance

Its intense citrus aroma makes lemon myrtle popular in candles, diffusers and aromatic wellness products.

Spa Experiences

Australian spas and wellness brands may incorporate native botanicals such as lemon myrtle into treatments and products to create a stronger connection with the surrounding landscape.

Explore spas in Australia and native Australian skincare for experiences and products featuring local botanicals.

Lemon Myrtle and Indigenous Australia

Lemon myrtle grows naturally in Australia and has a much longer history than its recent appearance in premium beauty products.

When exploring native Australian ingredients, it's worth looking beyond marketing language and learning about where ingredients come from, how they're grown and who benefits from their commercialisation.

Products and experiences making specific claims about Aboriginal knowledge, traditions or cultural practices deserve additional scrutiny. Look for businesses that clearly explain their relationships, sourcing and partnerships rather than simply using Indigenous imagery or terminology.

Learn more in our guide to First Nations wellness experiences in Australia.

An Australian Ingredient Worth Discovering

Lemon myrtle represents something particularly interesting about Australian beauty.

It's local, immediately recognisable through its extraordinary fragrance and versatile enough to appear across skincare, bathing, spa, food and wellness.

You don't need to believe extravagant claims to appreciate it.

Sometimes the appeal is much simpler: an Australian botanical, a beautiful citrus aroma and an everyday ritual that feels distinctly connected to place.

Discover Australian Native Beauty

Lemon myrtle is just one of the native ingredients appearing across Australia's evolving beauty and wellness landscape.

Explore skincare and wellness products featuring Kakadu plum, quandong, finger lime, macadamia oil, tea tree and other Australian ingredients through native Australian skincare & botanicals, and discover the stories behind what you're putting on your skin.