Melissa Essential Oil

The Scarcest Lemon Note

Melissa, or lemon balm, yields one of the scarcest essential oils in the trade: tons of fresh herb produce mere ounces of oil. Steam-distilled from Melissa officinalis, it offers a delicate lemon-herb radiance that no other botanical quite matches.

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⚗ Small-batch distillation
🌳 Melissa officinalis from Europe
📄 Lab-verified purity (COA)
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Melissa For Every Maker

Evening Diffuser Blends

Layer a drop into an evening diffuser alongside lavender or chamomile for a soft, radiant lemony-herbal atmosphere.

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Soap & Candle Work

Add melissa at a very low dose to cold process soap or poured candles for a rare, true lemon top note.

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Fine Perfumery

Fold a trace of melissa into handmade fine fragrance for a luminous, sophisticated lift few other oils can match.

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Bulk & Production Supply

Move up to 5, 25, or 400 pound sizes once your studio's melissa formula is ready for real production.

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Try It Small, Buy It Big

Melissa Essential Oil 0.5 oz Evaluation Bottle
0.5 oz
$20.80

Test melissa's true lemon-herbal character before committing to a larger blend or production plan.

 Melissa Essential Oil 16 oz Pilot Batch
16 oz
$140.96

Confirm your dilution ratios and blend recipe across a real pilot batch of soap, candles, or perfume.

 Melissa Essential Oil 5 lbs Production Start
5 lbs
$486.06

Move into production with a lower per-ounce cost once your formula and ratios are locked in.
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✓ 100% Pure
🌿 Cruelty-Free

About Melissa Essential Oil

Melissa essential oil is steam-distilled from the fresh leaves and flowering tops of Melissa officinalis, the lemon balm of monastery gardens. Yields are extraordinarily small, which makes genuine melissa precious and widely adulterated, and makes verified sourcing the whole game.

The scent is fresh lemon over a soft, green herbal heart, brighter than a citrus peel yet rounder and more delicate. It shines in small doses beside lavender, rose, geranium, and chamomile, lending blends a subtle radiance.

A drop of melissa transforms an evening diffuser blend, perfumes a bath dispersant or facial steam ritual, and gives fine handmade perfume a luminous herbal-citrus lift. Given its potency and price, most users dilute it well and savor it slowly.

Lemon Balm To Finished Bottle

Harvest

Fresh Melissa officinalis leaves and flowering tops are cut at peak aromatic strength for distillation.

Sorting

Cut plant material is sorted and prepared to remove stems and debris before it reaches the still.

Distillation

Steam distillation slowly draws the oil's fragile lemon-herbal compounds from a very large volume of leaf.

Lab Testing

Each finished batch is tested in a lab and the results are recorded on its certificate of analysis before release.

Bottling

The tested oil is bottled and stored away from heat and light to protect its top note.

Scarcity Invites Close Scrutiny

Because melissa is scarce and among the most expensive oils to distill, it is also one of the most frequently stretched or substituted on the market, which makes independent verification worth far more than a label claim.

The certificate of analysis for our current batch is posted on this page, so you can check the lab results yourself before you commit a project or a production order to this oil.

View the current COA (PDF)

Melissa Oil vs. Synthetic Lemon Balm Fragrance

True Melissa OilSynthetic Lemon Fragrance
SourceDistilled from Melissa officinalis leavesBlended from synthetic aroma chemicals
AromaSoft, layered lemon-herbal facetsFlat, one-note lemon smell
CompositionNaturally complex plant oilSimplified chemical approximation
DocumentationBatch tested with a published COARarely accompanied by lab results
Best forFine perfumery and craft blendingCheap mass-market scenting

Small Yields, Honest Sourcing

1 Species

Every bottle comes from Melissa officinalis alone, never a blend of look-alikes.

Europe

Our Melissa officinalis is grown and distilled in Europe.

Leaf & Flower

Distillation starts from the plant's fresh leaves and flowering tops.

Steam-Distilled

The oil is captured by steam distillation, not solvent extraction.

What's in the Bottle →

Ideas For Your Melissa Bottle

These hands-on guides show how makers actually use melissa oil, from bath rituals to solid perfume.

How to Make a Melissa Oil Solid Perfume Balm at Home

How to Make a Melissa Oil Solid Perfume Balm at Home

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DIY Melissa Bath Oil and Salts: A Quiet Hour in the Tub

DIY Melissa Bath Oil and Salts: A Quiet Hour in the Tub

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Signature Blend: Garden Dusk. Our Melissa, Lavender, and Bergamot Recipe

Signature Blend: Garden Dusk. Our Melissa, Lavender, and Bergamot Recipe

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What Blends Well with Melissa Oil: A Complete Pairing Guide

What Blends Well with Melissa Oil: A Complete Pairing Guide

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Complete GuidesHow To GuidesDiy RecipesBuying GuidesComparisonsTop PicksSeasonalScience ResearchFAQ

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Bulk Melissa For Working Studios

Melissa's price and delicate lemon-herbal profile mean our bulk buyers tend to be fine perfumers, boutique soap makers, and specialty candle studios building small, high-value runs rather than mass production. The same lab-tested batch that fills our smallest bottle also fills the 5, 25, and 400 pound sizes, with identical documentation behind every pound.

Perfumers & Formulators

Layer trace amounts of melissa into fine fragrance work backed by a documented, consistent batch.

See the guide →

Boutique Soap Makers

Bring a rare lemony top note to small-batch cold process soap without guessing at sourcing.

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Candle Studios

Scale a signature lemon-herbal candle line once a small test pour proves out the blend.

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Melissa Essential Oil 5 lbs
5 lbs
$486.06
$97.21 per lb
Save 19% Melissa Essential Oil 25 lbs
25 lbs
$1,981.69
$79.27 per lb
Save 22% Melissa Essential Oil 400 lbs
400 lbs
$20,589.80
$51.47 per lb
Save 26%
🔒 Secure Checkout
📦 Fast Shipping
✓ 100% Pure
🌿 Cruelty-Free
See Bulk Pricing & Documentation →Ask About Standing Orders

Questions We Hear

How fast do orders ship? ▾
Orders typically ship within 1 to 2 business days. Larger 5 lb and up sizes may need a little extra handling time before they leave our facility. Checkout runs through our secure Shopify store, so your payment details are never handled directly by us.
Where does this oil come from? ▾
Our melissa oil is steam-distilled from the fresh leaves and flowering tops of Melissa officinalis, grown and processed in Europe. Because yields are so small, this is one of the rarest true essential oils we carry, and it shows in the price.
How can I check purity? ▾
Every batch we bottle is lab tested, and the certificate of analysis for the current run is published right on this page in the purity section above. Read it before you order to see exactly what you are buying.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.