From the Bathique Club editorial desk
Lemongrass smells like a clean kitchen and a Thai curry at the same time, which is a strange thing to want on your skin until you have tried it. Then it makes complete sense.
But the question worth asking — and the one this article is actually about — is not whether lemongrass smells good. It does. The question is whether lemongrass essential oil does anything measurable for your skin, or whether it is just a nice scent that wellness brands have wrapped a story around. The honest answer is somewhere in between, and it is more interesting than either extreme.
Here is what the evidence actually supports, what it doesn’t, and how to get the benefit without the irritation that sends a lot of first-time users running.
What lemongrass essential oil actually is
Lemongrass essential oil is steam-distilled from the leaves of Cymbopogon grass — the same tall, sharp-edged grass you have probably stepped around in an Indian garden. The oil is not subtle. It is roughly 65–85% citral, a single compound that does most of the heavy lifting, both for the scent and for the skin effects below.
That high citral content is the whole story here. It is why lemongrass works. It is also why lemongrass has to be handled with a bit of respect, which we will get to.
The skin benefits, ranked by how much evidence there is
Not every claim made about lemongrass holds up equally. Here is our honest ranking.
1. It is genuinely antibacterial (strong evidence)
This is the benefit with the most solid ground under it. A 2017 study published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies found that lemongrass essential oil showed strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli — two bacteria associated with skin infections and irritation. The citral in the oil is the active part, and it works at surprisingly low concentrations.
In practical terms, this is why lemongrass turns up in soaps, cleansers, and body bars. A wash that is mildly antibacterial without being harsh is genuinely useful, particularly in a hot, humid climate where skin spends a lot of the year slightly damp.
2. It can help with acne — but indirectly (moderate evidence)
You will see “lemongrass oil for acne” all over the internet, usually overstated. Here is the careful version. Lemongrass does not dissolve a spot or shrink a pore on contact. What it does is reduce the population of acne-associated bacteria on the skin’s surface, and citral has been shown to inhibit the growth of these bacteria at low concentrations.
So lemongrass is a reasonable supporting ingredient in an anti-blemish routine — especially as a body wash for back and chest breakouts, which respond well to a gently antibacterial cleanser. It is not a treatment. If you have persistent acne, a dermatologist and an evidence-backed active will do more than any essential oil. Lemongrass is the nice-to-have, not the fix.
3. It is astringent and helps balance oily skin (moderate evidence)
Lemongrass has a mild astringent quality — it makes skin feel tighter and temporarily makes pores look smaller. People with oily or combination skin tend to like it for exactly this reason; it leaves skin feeling matte rather than stripped. The effect is real but temporary, and it is gentler in a rinse-off product like soap than in a leave-on serum.
4. It is antifungal and antioxidant (emerging evidence)
There is a reasonable body of lab research showing lemongrass oil has antifungal activity and a measurable antioxidant effect. This is promising, but most of it is in-vitro — done in a dish, not on human skin over months. We would not buy a product for these benefits yet, but they are a fair bonus rather than a marketing invention.
5. The aromatherapy effect (worth taking seriously, hard to measure)
Lemongrass is widely used in aromatherapy to lift mood and reduce a sense of stress. This is harder to study and easy to be cynical about — but the scent genuinely is bright and energising, and there is no real downside to a shower that smells like one. We would call this a real benefit, just an honest one: it is about how the wash feels, not a clinical claim.
The part most articles skip: lemongrass needs respect
Here is the bit the breezy “10 benefits” listicles tend to bury. That same citral that makes lemongrass useful is also a recognised skin sensitiser. Used carelessly, lemongrass can irritate skin rather than help it.
A few rules, then.
Never apply lemongrass essential oil neat. Undiluted essential oil on skin is a bad idea generally, and lemongrass more than most. For leave-on use, it needs diluting into a carrier oil — somewhere around a 0.5–1% dilution, which works out to roughly one to two drops per tablespoon of jojoba or another gentle carrier.
Patch test, every time, even if you have used it before. Sensitisation can build up over repeated exposures. Dab a little of the diluted oil on your inner forearm and leave it 24 hours.
Some people should just skip it. Lemongrass is generally not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, should not be used on children under two, and is best avoided on very sensitive, broken, or compromised skin. There is also some debate about photosensitivity — the evidence is mixed, but if you are using it as a leave-on, it is sensible not to follow it with direct sun.
This is, incidentally, one of the quiet advantages of meeting lemongrass in a soap rather than a serum. A well-made soap uses the oil at a low, balanced level and then you rinse most of it away. You get the antibacterial cleanse and the scent, with far less of the irritation risk that comes with leaving a concentrated oil sitting on your skin all day.
How we use lemongrass at Bathique
Our current bar — Lemongrass & Sea Salt — is built around exactly that logic. The lemongrass essential oil is there for the antibacterial cleanse and the bright, clean scent; the Himalayan sea salt adds a light exfoliation and a mineral firmness to the bar. Because it is a cold-pressed soap cured for six weeks, it keeps its natural glycerine, so the bar cleans and lightly tones without leaving skin feeling stripped — which is the failure mode of most “fresh”-scented commercial soap.
It is a single-SKU bar, made in Mumbai in small monthly batches. If a lemongrass shower sounds like your kind of morning, that is the one to try.
How to bring lemongrass into your routine
If you want the benefits without overthinking it:
A lemongrass soap or body bar is the easiest, lowest-risk entry point — gentle, rinse-off, no dilution maths required. Use it daily, paying attention to the areas that tend to break out, like the back and chest.
If you want to use the essential oil directly, dilute it properly into a carrier oil first, patch test, and treat it as an occasional spot-area product rather than an all-over one.
And if you are building a slower, more deliberate wash routine, lemongrass pairs beautifully with warm water and a few unhurried minutes — we wrote a whole piece on building a luxury bath ritual at home if that is the direction you want to take it.
FAQ
Is lemongrass good for skin?
Yes, with caveats. It is genuinely antibacterial and mildly astringent, which makes it useful in cleansers and soaps. But it is also a potential irritant, so it needs to be properly diluted in leave-on products, and it does not suit everyone.
Does lemongrass oil help with acne?
Indirectly. It reduces acne-associated bacteria on the skin surface, which can support a wider routine — especially for body acne. It is not a standalone acne treatment, and persistent acne should be seen by a dermatologist.
Can I put lemongrass essential oil directly on my face?
No — not undiluted. It must be diluted into a carrier oil to roughly 0.5–1% for facial use, and you should patch test first. A lemongrass soap is a much safer way to get the benefit on facial skin.
What are lemongrass oil benefits for the body?
On the body, lemongrass works as a refreshing, gently antibacterial cleanse — useful for back and chest skin, post-workout freshness, and humid-weather comfort. The astringent quality also leaves skin feeling matte rather than greasy.
Who should avoid lemongrass essential oil?
People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children under two, and anyone with very sensitive, broken, or reactive skin. When in doubt, patch test and start with a low-concentration rinse-off product.
The short version
Lemongrass essential oil is not magic, and it is not a gimmick. It is a real, well-studied antibacterial ingredient with a genuinely lovely scent — and a citral content high enough that it deserves a little care. Met in a well-formulated soap, it is one of the easiest, safest ways to bring a clean, bright, mildly antibacterial wash into an everyday routine.
If that is the shower you want tomorrow morning, you know where to find ours.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a skin condition or persistent acne, speak to a dermatologist. Last updated May 2026.