Honey Myrtle Essential Oil 10mL
Honey Myrtle is distilled from Melaleuca teretifolia, a fine-leaved shrub that grows in the seasonally wet sand flats of Western Australia. The lemon comes from citral, which makes up around two thirds of the oil. The honey and rose notes underneath come from geraniol and myrcene. Very few oils carry both ends of that at once, and nothing is added to make it happen.
Choose your pack
Free shipping on orders over $75. Pack savings applied at checkout. Need bulk? Talk to us about wholesale volumes.
Honey Myrtle is steam distilled from the leaf and terminal branches of Melaleuca teretifolia. It sits in the same genus as tea tree, and in the same Myrtaceae family as eucalyptus and kunzea, but it smells nothing like any of them. The leaves are terete, meaning round in cross section and needle fine, and the flowers come as soft cream bottlebrush spikes. It is a genuinely rare oil, native to Western Australia and grown nowhere else.
From bush to bottle
Melaleuca teretifolia grows in the low sandy heath of Western Australia, on ground that is seasonally wet through winter and dries out hard in summer. Zea's oil is grown on a single property on Kaniyang land, under sustainable farming practices with minimal and careful use of herbicides and fertilisers.
The harvest takes the fine leaf and the terminal branches, where the oil sits. Older woody growth is left on the plant. Cutting the terminal growth also prompts the shrub to reshoot, so the same stand keeps producing year after year.
The cut material goes to a gentle saturated steam distillation. Saturated steam sits at the boiling point of water rather than above it, so the still runs cooler and slower than a high pressure system. For a citral-led oil that is not a nicety, it is the whole ballgame.
Citral is not one compound but two, neral and geranial, and together they make up 65 to 72% of this oil. They are also among the more delicate molecules in aromatherapy. Heat and light degrade them, and once they oxidise the sweetness flattens into something dull and faintly stale. Anyone who has left a lemon oil open too long has smelled it happen.
That is why the distillation runs on saturated steam rather than superheated. Keeping the temperature at the boiling point of water costs yield and costs time, and it is the reason the honey note is still there when you open the bottle. The same logic applies once it is yours: keep the cap on firmly, keep it below 30°C, and keep it out of the sun.
Quality and testing
Every batch is GC/MS tested, which is what produces the constituent ranges below. Typical specifications are shown; natural oils vary between batches, which is exactly why each one is tested rather than assumed.
Inside the bottle
Neral and geranial together. This is the lemon, and it is the fragile part.
Soft and balsamic. Takes the hard edge off the citrus.
Rose and honey. The note that gives the oil its name.
Bright peel notes that lift the top of the profile.
Typical ranges across batches rather than a single batch result, and they shift with season and harvest. The oil also carries alpha-pinene at 0.5 to 1.5% and linalool at around 0.5%. Statements about individual constituents refer to published research on those constituents in isolation, not to an outcome from using this product.
This is the country Melaleuca teretifolia wants: low sandy heath on Kaniyang land in Western Australia, wet through winter and dry through summer. It is not comfortable ground, and that is rather the point. Species that tolerate this kind of seasonal swing tend to produce the more interesting oils.
Honey Myrtle, Lemon Myrtle and Lemon
| Honey Myrtle | Lemon Myrtle | Lemon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical | Melaleuca teretifolia | Backhousia citriodora | Citrus limon |
| Citral content | 65 to 72% | Typically 90%+ | Low |
| Aroma | Sweet lemon with honey | Intense, sherbet-sharp lemon | Bright zesty peel |
| Character | Rounded, warm | Dominant, single-minded | Clean, simple |
| Extraction | Steam distilled leaf | Steam distilled leaf | Cold pressed peel |
| Native to Australia | Yes, WA only | Yes, QLD and NSW | No |
A botanical and aroma comparison to help you choose between oils. It is not a claim that one oil performs better than another.
Ways to use it
3 to 6 drops in a diffuser. The sweetness comes through best in air.
A brilliant freshening agent in a homemade surface spray.
Works with Eucalyptus, Coastal Tea Tree, Kunzea, Nerolina and Fragonia.
A few drops in water instead of a synthetic air freshener.
One drop on a locket pad carries the aroma with you.
At 1% maximum in a carrier oil. Read the safety notes first.
A rare top note that is both citrus and sweet at once.
Its bright, sparkling character suits the start of the day.
Honey Myrtle is a high citral oil, which makes it more restricted than most. Please read these before using it on skin.
What customers tell us
★★★★★
“I felt in love with this oil the minute I've opened it. Using it in my defuser at night and add some drops to my locket daily, ensures the calmness and sweetness of this wonderful product”
Milette B. · Verified buyer
★★★★★
“I recently purchased May Chang and Honey Myrtle. Oh my goodness! After trying many different oils, the ones purchased from Zea are simply beautiful. Full scent, refreshing, relaxing, just beautiful.”
Melissa A. · Verified buyer
★★★★★
“I would like to order 2 more Honey Myrtle essential oil. It is absolutely beautiful in my air mister.”
Diana M. · Verified buyer
Five-star reviews left by verified Judge.me buyers, quoted as written. These are individual customer experiences and results differ from person to person.
Complete your blending kit
Honey Myrtle is a top note. These are the Australian natives that give it something to sit on, plus a carrier oil if you plan to dilute it for skin.
Zea's hero oil. Foresty depth under the citrus.
$24.95
Sweet and earthy, from the same family. A natural base.
$34.95
The classic clearing note. Cuts through the sweetness.
$14.95
Soft and floral. Bridges the citrus and the woods.
$18.00
Balanced and calm. Rounds off a bright blend.
$34.95
Unscented base. Essential for keeping to a 1% dilution.
$17.95
Single origin Australian essential oils since 2016
Questions, answered
A 100% pure essential oil, steam distilled from the leaf and terminal branches of Melaleuca teretifolia in Western Australia. Single origin and GC/MS tested. The species grows nowhere else.
Sweet, fresh and sparkling citrus with warm honey undertones and a slight herbaceous twist. Strong. Think lemon sherbet and honey together rather than one or the other.
Chemistry. Lemon Myrtle is typically over 90% citral, so it reads as intense, single-minded lemon. Honey Myrtle sits at 65 to 72%, and myrcene and geraniol fill the rest with balsamic and rose-honey notes.
Only well diluted, to a maximum of 1% in anything that stays on skin. Above that, skin sensitisation may occur. Never apply it undiluted and patch test first.
Avoid it on babies and children, on damaged or hypersensitive skin, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and if you take antidepressants. Speak to your health practitioner if any apply.
Below 30°C, dry, away from direct sunlight, cap on firmly. Citral oxidises faster than most constituents, so a warm or open bottle loses its sweetness first.
Keep it out of reach of children and do not use it on them. Diffuse in a ventilated room. Check with your vet before diffusing around pets.
Choose your pack above and the discount applies automatically at checkout. No code needed: 5% off 3 or more, 10% off 5 or more eligible Zea products.
Free on Australian orders over $75. Orders are dispatched from our Australian warehouse.
Free shipping on Australian orders over $75 · 100% pure · GC/MS tested · single origin Western Australia. Choose your pack and we will get it on its way.
Choose your packHoney Myrtle Essential Oil is an aromatherapy product for external use only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always dilute before use and follow the label directions. Statements about individual constituents refer to published research on those constituents, not to an outcome from using this product. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.
Honey Myrtle Oil 10mL
