Which doTERRA oils are photosensitive, and for how long
Nine of the seventy-eight oils in the range carry a photosensitivity warning on the label. If you apply one of these to skin and that skin then meets sunlight or a sunbed, it can burn or discolour — sometimes days later, and the marks can last months. This is the complete list, taken from each product’s own page on this site.
The nine
| Oil |
|---|
| Bergamot |
| Lime |
| Grapefruit |
| Wild Orange |
| Lemon |
| Juniper Berry |
| Tangerine |
| Petitgrain |
| Green Mandarin |
Each name links to that oil’s page, where the warning appears with the rest of its label information.
The rule
After applying any of these to skin, keep that skin out of direct sunlight and away from sunbeds for twelve hours. Cover it, or apply the oil in the evening to skin that will be under clothes.
Diffusing is not affected. The reaction needs the oil on skin plus ultraviolet light. A citrus blend in the diffuser is not a problem at any time of day.
Why these and not the others
Cold-pressed citrus peel contains furocoumarins — bergapten is the best known — which absorb ultraviolet light and react with skin. Steam-distilled versions of the same fruit generally do not contain them, which is why the same fruit can appear on one bottle with a warning and on another without. The bottle in your hand is the authority, not the fruit on the label.
Bergamot is the strongest of the nine by a distance. It is also the one most often used in perfume-style blends, which is precisely when it ends up on wrists and necks in daylight.
What to do instead
- Move it to the evening. A citrus body oil after a bath is fine; the same oil before a walk is not.
- Keep it under clothes. Covered skin is not exposed skin.
- Use it in the diffuser instead. Most of what people want from citrus oils is the smell in the room.
- Check the bottle, not a blog. Some suppliers sell bergapten-reduced (FCF) versions which do not carry the restriction. If the bottle does not say so, assume the full oil.
If it has already happened
A phototoxic reaction looks like a burn and can appear hours or days afterwards. Keep the area out of the sun, and see a doctor or pharmacist — this site does not give medical advice and will not pretend otherwise.