The Bergamot Fruit

Bergamot is a citrus fruit roughly the size of an orange and with a vibrant color between green and yellow. This small citrus has raised controversy amongst botanists about its genesis; some arguing that bergamot is a natural hybrid resulting from a cross between a bitter orange and lemon. According to others, it is simply a subspecies of the bitter orange. The plant likely originates from Southeast Asia and was introduced to the Mediterranean and North Africa via trade along the Silk Road. Now, the fruit is grown predominantly in the Calabria region of southern Italy where the soil and microclimate are ideal for its cultivation. Over 90% of the world’s supply is now exported from Italy.  Unlike other more common citrus fruits, bergamot is grown not for eating but for its fragrant peel. This peel produces an essential oil prized in perfumery and aromatherapy.

What Does Bergamot Smell Like?

The cold-pressed oil from the rind contains a medley of aromatic compounds—like linalyl and limonene—that lend bergamot its signature scent: fresh, floral, gently spicy, and faintly bitter. True bergamot oil can only be obtained through labor-intensive cultivation and careful, hand-picked harvesting, often making it one of the more exclusive citrus oils in the fragrance world.

How to Make Bergamot Oil

Cultivators harvest bergamot fruit in early winter, between November and February, and typically extract its essential oil through cold pressing. This process involves mechanically puncturing the rind and then using centrifugal force to separate the essential oil. This heat-free extraction method preserves the delicate aromatic compounds of the fruit. As the fruit is delicate and the yield is relatively low, pure bergamot oil is both precious and potent.

Its unique chemical profile gives it a dual character—bright and zesty on one hand, but soft and rounded on the other—which allows it to bridge both floral and woody compositions. These qualities make bergamot not only a key top note in many perfumes but also a subtle harmonizer within complex scent blends.

Historical & Cultural Uses of Bergamot for Aromatherapy

Bergamot has a long and rich history of use, both for its scent and medicinal properties. In traditional Italian folk medicine, healers used bergamot oil as a natural remedy for fevers, inflammation, and infections. Its soothing, mood-enhancing properties were also historically employed in teas and tonics. Most famously, bergamot is foundational in the creation of Earl Grey tea, where bergamot rind is blended with black tea to lend its unmistakable flavor.

In aromatherapy, users continually celebrate bergamot for its ability to uplift the mood and reduce stress. Its bright, clean scent has been found to ease anxiety and promote a sense of well-being. Skin care formulations also use it as a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent.

Today, bergamot remains a cornerstone in perfumery. Perfumers often use the note to add radiance to blends and enhance both floral and green compositions. Its crisp character can create a sense of elegance and ease, making it a favorite for both personal wear and ambient scenting.

Air Aroma’s Illuminate Fragrance

Bright, Optimistic, Citrus, Aquatic

Bergamot, Blood Orange, Grapefruit, Verbena, Marine Air, Asian Pear, Lily of the Valley, Neroli, Moss, Cedarwood

Luminous through a gradient sky, the central spark of a soft glow. Radiant and deep, gracefully descending through wide expanse. The ember that doesn’t die, illuminating all that is. Felt as truth, a tangible light, the sinking sun as simultaneously permanent and fleeting.

With its fresh, uplifting profile, Illuminate is a popular choice for luxury hospitality, wellness spaces, and retail environments. Used in hotels like The Langham New York, Fifth Avenue and The Beverly Wilshire, Illuminate offers a sunny, welcoming atmosphere that enhances any space.

Bergamot is a timeless choice for those drawn to the clean, effervescent energy of citrus. Discover the light-filled beauty of bergamot in Air Aroma’s Illuminate, Sencha, and Verdure fragrances. Or, create your own custom scent inspired by the luminous freshness of bergamot.

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Eucalyptus Tree

Eucalyptus oil is derived from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree—a fast-growing evergreen native to Australia and now cultivated in temperate regions around the world like China and Brazil. To produce eucalyptus fragrance, the tree’s aromatic leaves and stems are removed, chopped and then steam-distilled to extract the potent essential oil. With over 700 species, eucalyptus belongs to the myrtle family, sharing botanical ties with other fragrant plants like tea tree and clove.

Iconically Australian, the Eucalyptus tree is by far the most common forest tree in Australia. The prolific species covers about 77% of its total native forest area. The trees are essential to the conservation of Australia’s rich biodiversity, supporting forest-dwelling and dependent flora and fauna. This notably includes endangered species and species endemic to Australia, like the beloved koala, who mainly eats eucalyptus leaves.

Historical Uses

Historically, Australian indigenous populations had many uses for the eucalyptus tree. From honing weaponry to spiritual cleansing to healing tea, both the wood and the leaves were utilized by aboriginal tribes.

Oil from the eucalyptus tree is now used worldwide for its medicinal properties. The oil has antiseptic qualities, making it a natural ingredient to clean and heal wounds. Its decongestant properties help clear colds when inhaled and it can even be used in ointments as an anti-inflammatory or insect repellant. Studies have found eucalyptus oil to be effective against respiratory pathogens, healing lung infections such a tuberculosis when used in traditional medicine.

In aromatherapy, its benefits are widely acknowledged: eucalyptus is known to support respiratory health, enhance mental clarity, and reduce feelings of fatigue and anxiety. Its clean and sharp aroma has a purifying quality, which is why it’s frequently diffused in wellness spaces and used in personal rituals to restore balance and energy. While eucalyptus has been celebrated for its use in natural medicine, wellness rituals, and personal care products for centuries, its role in fragrance has steadily grown.

What Does Eucalyptus Smell Like?

Like peppermint woven into dry paper, eucalyptus smells like nature’s apothecary. The scent of eucalyptus is cool, camphorous, and subtly sweet, making it a favorite in modern perfumery and interior scenting for its clean and rejuvenating character. Often used as a top or middle note in compositions, eucalyptus adds a bright, crisp layer that pairs beautifully with woody, citrus, and herbal accords.

Whether it’s the first inhale of a spa treatment or the subtle freshness in a luxury hotel lobby, eucalyptus offers a sensory experience that is both refreshing and comforting—making it a perennial favorite for wellness and beyond.

Air Aroma’s Iron Bark Fragrance

Fresh, Awakening, Grounding

100% Essential Oil Blend with Eucalyptus, Ravensara, Fennel, Cinnamon, Tea Tree

 Humbled by the ridges of thousands of years. A step through a once molten lava basin, now dried with the winds of stone queens. Virtuous and proud, an imperfect forest of unending brown layers crunches beneath. Warped, thick, stone like bark stands as a statue of time, offering the gift of reflection in its depth. A new era of discovery begins.

Iron Bark is a bright, clarifying essential oil blend, elevating spa areas, fitness and wellness brands, and spring or summer seasonal scenting.

Air Aroma’s Serene Fragrance

Evergreen, Camphor, Cleansing

100% Essential Oil Blend with Lavender & Eucalyptus

As the starry sky reveals its luminescent pearls, the echo of energy received from the sun lulls in narrow eucalyptus leaves. Relaxing from the nourishment into the night, the satisfaction from the electric vitality of life lingers. The potent container of cellular activity alongside a glittering dark expanse, each sparkle a quality of the same force.

With its fresh, herbal profile, Serene is a relaxing essential oil blend utilized popularly in spa areas, fitness and wellness brands, and medical centers.

Eucalyptus is an uplifting and crisp scent for fans of cool, softly woody aromas. Explore the invigorating splendor of eucalyptus in Air Aroma’s premium Iron Bark and Serene scents. Or, design a custom signature scent to take advantage of the versatile properties this scent has to offer.

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Vetiver Grass

The vetiver scent, derived from the roots of a perennial grass native primarily to India and grown in tropical climates such as Haiti and Indonesia, has a long and celebrated history in the world of fragrance. The fragrance itself is distilled in a process that first involves the aging of vetiver roots. The roots are then  soaked in water until a highly concentrated oil is released and skimmed from the surface. This fragrant oil can then be utilized for its many properties. The vetiver plant resides within the same family as other aromatic grasses also used for essential oils, including the very popular lemongrass and citronella plants.

Vetiver Oil Uses

While used in its cultivation for the production of woven goods, vetiver’s core consumption is in its oil state. Known for its deep, earthy aroma, vetiver oil has been used for centuries in perfumery and aromatherapy.

In fragrance, vetiver is traditionally used in men’s cologne. The verdant, woody, and raw note tends to be considered more on the masculine end of the spectrum. However, its use is more widespread than would be assumed. As a base note, vetiver is an extremely popular addition to many western perfumes due to its fixative properties. Meaning, when incorporated into a blend, vetiver can help to make scents last longer to the nose. Overall, the scent is extremely versatile, lending a sophisticated and comforting dimension to any blend.

Recognized for its grounding and calming properties, vetiver has also been known to be utilized in the practice of aromatherapy. According to studies done on the subject, inhalation can improve alertness, reduce mental fatigue, and feelings of anxiety. Studies have also gone so far to show that when diffused during sleep, vetiver may help breathing issues by increasing the quality of one’s exhalation and improving overall quality of sleep.

Air Aroma’s Vetiver Rain Fragrance

Green, Wet, Earthy, Fresh, Inviting

Haitian Vetiver, Sandalwood, Violet Leaf, Iris Root, Orange Flower, Orange, Bergamot, Marine Air, Grapefruit

An earth ritual in the depth of forest solitude, following an undeniable call of the wild. Rooting and trusting the`wise voice of nature while creating ceremony in a stone structure embossed with age. The wet essence of earthy veracity permeates thick air, offering harmonious answers to curious questions. With feet planted in the soil, a place to house the wild nature and enchantments of the soul.

With its fresh, revitalizing output, Vetiver Rain is a luxurious aroma oil utilized popularly in spa areas, fitness and wellness clients, and  spring or summer seasonal scenting.

Vetiver is a unique and sophisticated scent for fans of earthy, green aromas and those inspired by the scents of Spring. Explore the invigorating splendor of vetiver in Air Aroma’s premium Vetiver Rain scent, or design a custom signature scent to take advantage of the versatile properties this scent has to offer.

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In recent years, people are sleeping worse than ever before. Although sleep is one of the three pillars of health, along with nutrition and movement, many people are not getting enough for their wellbeing. With higher caffeine intake, increased screen time, and external stressors, it’s no surprise that adults are having a harder time sleeping in 2023. Today, people will do almost anything to get a good night sleep. From taking melatonin or CBD, installing blackout curtains, listening to ambient sounds, or even using sleep specific apps to aid in lulling themselves to bed. Intro: aromatherapy, a natural alternative consisting of inhaling essential oil scents, that has been used for sleep aid for thousands of years. Using scents for better sleep is a tried and true method to receive an array of benefits and sleep improvement.

One third of adults do not regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep they need, defined as 7 or more hours by the CDC, and up to 70 million Americans experience chronic sleep disorders such as insomnia. Research has found that the average American adult sleeps just 6.8 hours a night, dropping from the 7.9 hour nightly average of the 1940s. Overtime, this sleep disparity can lead to health risks as well as bleed into one’s work and personal life, potentially causing changes in productivity, mood, and memory.

Inhale Exhale: Aromatherapy for Sleep

Aromatherapy has been used for its healing properties since ancient times. Scents can be applied, inhaled, or diffused to aid with a variety of health benefits such as pain relief, stress and anxiety easement,and decreasing sleeplessness. Although not typically a sense associated with sleep, studies have shown that smell directly affects sleep. Distinct smells can promote better sleep quality, help people wake up in the morning, and even influence dreams and memory formation during rest.

People can utilize this knowledge and set themselves up for a successful night sleep by incorporating specific scents into their bedtime routine. Exposure to scents associated with calming, clarifying, or mood boosting properties can help one ease into a restful state and create a bedroom environment more conductive to falling, and staying, asleep.

Calm your Nerves: Lavender & Bergamot

The body responds in step with external pressures – when one experiences stress or strain in their life, their body reacts. For example, through increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased cortisol production. These changes are the exact opposite of what the body should be experiencing when winding down for sleep and can majorly contribute to sleeping problems like insomnia.

Lavender, the most studied scent in relation to sleep studies, is a natural scent that contains chemical compounds that calm the nervous system, thus counteracting stress and anxiety. Studies have found that inhaling lavender essential oils can lower heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure – all processes that increase with stress and decrease as the body naturally prepares itself for sleep. The citrus ingredient bergamot contains similar properties, helping to reduce blood pressure and heart rate when used for aromatherapy.

Clear your Head: Peppermint & Eucalyptus

Also found to positively impact sleep are the scents of Peppermint and Eucalyptus. When inhaled, these bright, herbal scents can clear one’s head of racing thoughts after a long day, a common barricade to falling asleep, and leave you in a more relaxed state. Clearing the head in a more physical way, these scents can also help to clear out congestion, which in turn can help to relieve breathing and aid in dropping off to sleep.

Balance your Mood

After a day of heightened emotions, one can find themselves struggling to level out before bed. To counteract this sensation, try using aromatherapy with Sandalwood and Cedarwood oils. These scents are known for their mood-balancing properties, calming emotions so you can unwind before bed. Specifically, these oils contain a chemical compound, cedrol, that causes a sedative effect. Cedrol also activates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, better known as your “rest and digest” system.

While less studied, findings point to vetiver scents positively impacting sleep. The deep, earthly smell works similarly to its woody counterparts, slowing the mind down to a more relaxed, grounded state.

Air Aroma Scents for Successful Sleep

Air Aroma provides multiple products conducive to sleep focused aromatherapy. Spritz a few sprays of our room sprays on your pillow before bed or throughout your bedroom to create a calming sleep environment. Air Aroma offers sprays featuring:

Lavender

Peppermint

Bergamot

Sandalwood

Cedarwood

Vetiver

If you prefer to utilize your personal diffuser for aromatherapy, Air Aroma provides a range of our carefully curated fragrances in 30ml diffusion oils.

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