- Latin name
- Citrus medica
- Family
- Rue family (Rutaceae)
- Origin
- Calabria (Italy), Corsica
- Parts used
- fruit peel
- Raw materials
- essential oil (rarely), citrus accords
- Extraction
- cold pressing of the peel; the accord — synthesis
- Olfactory group
- citrus
- Position in the pyramid
- top note
- Synthetic substitutes
- citral, limonene, citrus bases
Cedrat (citron) is one of the oldest citrus fruits, an “ancestor” of the lemon. Its large bumpy fruits have very thick peel and little flesh, so they have long been valued for their fragrant zest and candied peel.
How it smells: fresh, bright and soft: lemon zest without acidity, a light floral sweetness, a faintly green and herbal shade. Cedrat sounds nobler and rounder than lemon, with a subtle elegance.
Citron is one of the three “original” citrus fruits (along with mandarin and pomelo) whose crosses gave rise to almost all modern citrus: lemon, orange, grapefruit and lime.
What it pairs with: with bergamot and neroli — classic colognes, with basil and mint — herbal freshness, with ginger — lively fragrances, with musk — clean transparent compositions, with vetiver — a fresh woody base.
Good to know: one variety of citron, Buddha's hand, has a fruit split into long “fingers”; it is placed as a fragrant ornament in temples and homes in China and Japan.
