Tangerine Oil

Citrus reticulata

Tangerine comes from Tangier, Morocco which is the port that the first tangerines were shipped to in Europe, although it is native to China and the Asia Pacific regions.

Tangerine oil is rich in the powerful antioxidant d-limonene. Tangerine contains 85-93% limonene. Limonene is a powerful antioxidant and is found in citrus oils.

Mandarin and tangerine are often confused as they have very similar properties and are often interchanged; however, there are some chemical differences. Mandarin essential oil contains esters and has a greater alcohol content while tangerine does not. Mandarin is steam distilled from the leaves, not the rind! Botanically tangerines and mandarins are the same, known as Citrus reticulata.

The ’Murcotts’ variety is the most commonly grown tangerine in the industry, ‘Dancy’ second. Other key oil producing countries include Mexico and Argentina.