Lemongrass Oil

Origin & story

The East Indian oil, C. flexuosus, is native to India and neighbouring parts of South and Southeast Asia, and within India it built its name in Kerala. In world trade the oil has long been called "Cochin oil" because for much of its history the bulk of it shipped out through Cochin port, with Kerala holding the production and export lead. A good deal of the old distillation was done by hill communities such as the Muthuvans in the forests of Idukki district in the Western Ghats. The plant sits in the grass family, Poaceae, and also carries the names Cochin grass, Malabar grass and East Indian lemongrass.

How it’s made

The oil is produced by steam distilling freshly cut leaves; the grass can also be extracted with solvent. A distillation run takes roughly four hours, and recovery from the herbage is on the order of 0.5-0.8%. Because both oil content and citral quality shift with location and climate, where and when the grass is cut matters to the final oil.

Sourcing & cultivation

Lemongrass wants a warm, humid climate with plenty of sunshine and good rainfall, and it does best on well-drained sandy loam; waterlogged and calcareous soils are avoided. It grows up to around 900 m elevation, which suits much of the Ghats. Growers raise it from seed nurseries or by splitting old clumps, then transplant at roughly 40x40 cm spacing; the first cut typically comes 4-6 months after planting and further cuts follow every 60-70 days, giving three to four harvests a year, with a plantation staying productive for about three to four years. Reported yields run in the region of 80 kg oil per hectare a year under rainfed conditions, rising into a roughly 100-150 kg range under irrigation.

Grades & quality

Buyers judge lemongrass oil first on citral, which typically runs from about 65% up to 85% depending on species, variety and growing conditions. Traditional Cochin (East Indian) oil has long been regarded in the trade as a benchmark grade. Indian breeding has pushed citral high in named varieties — CSIR-CIMAP releases such as Krishna, Cauvery, CIM-Suwarna and CIM-Shikhar are grown for herbage and oil yield, with Suwarna reported around 80% citral.

Uses & applications

The main use is as a source of citral. Citral goes into perfumery, cosmetics and beverages, and it is the starting material for ionones, which give the violet note in fragrance and feed the manufacture of synthetic vitamin A. The oil itself scents soaps, detergents and household cleaners, and its strong lemon odour makes it a common ingredient in insect repellents. West Indian lemongrass, C. citratus, is the grass more often used fresh in South and Southeast Asian cooking.

For buyers & the trade

India is a long-standing producer and exporter, with Kerala's "Cochin oil" as the historic benchmark, though Guatemala and parts of Southeast Asia are large suppliers on the world market. Demand rides mainly on the citral-to-ionone-to-vitamin-A chain rather than perfumery alone, so prices track the industrial feedstock market and sit against synthetic citral. When sourcing, ask for citral percentage and species (flexuosus vs citratus) up front, since both move under the single name "lemongrass oil".

Frequently asked