The invention provides lemon essence used in oil-based ink. The lemon essence is prepared from a lemon essence body, maltodextrin and starch sodium octenylsuccinate, wherein the lemon essence body is prepared from triethyl citrate, methyl dihydrojasmonate, peach aldehyde, beta-naphthol ethyl ether, dodecanenitrile, beta-ionone, gamma-decalactone,floropai, allyl cyclohexanepropionate, verdyl acetate, damacscone alpha, vanillin acetate, neryl acetate, undecanal, lauraldehyde, citronellyl formate, geranyl formate, geraniol, citronellol, nerol, citral, capraldehyde, styralyl acetate, citriodora oil, isocyclocitral, triplal, dihydromyrcenol, linalool, allyl hexanoate, ethyl-2-methylbutyrate, terpinolene, Brazil orange oil, lemon oil terpene, octyl aldehyde, paracymene, tangerine aldehyde, vanillic aldehyde, grapefruit oil and glyceryl triacetate. The invention further provides a preparation method of the lemon essence used in the oil-based ink. By means of the lemon essence used in the oil-based ink and the preparation method of the lemon essence, the fragrance retention effect and oil solubility of the essence are improved.