Nonvolatile components that are difficult to dissolve in the hydrophilic solvent in citrus essential oil can be removed by thin-film distillation at a constant pressure to remove the non-volatile components with minimal loss of aroma components. By distilling off the terpene hydrocarbon by precision distillation of the product, a purified citrus oil having a monoterpene hydrocarbon content of 5% by mass or less can be obtained even when the heating temperature during distillation is low； Provided is a purification method for transparently dissolving citrus essential oil in a hydrophilic solvent by a method that is easy to implement on a scale.柑橘精油中の親水性溶媒に溶解しにくい不揮発性成分を、一定の圧力で薄膜蒸留することにより香気成分の損失を最小限にして不揮発性成分を除去できること、また、薄膜蒸留により得られた留出物を精密蒸留によりテルペン炭化水素を留去することにより、蒸留の際の加熱温度が低くても、モノテルペン炭化水素含有量を５質量％以下である柑橘精油精製物が得られる；工業的規模で実施容易な方法により、柑橘精油を親水性溶媒に透明に溶解するための精製方法を提供する。
