There are few scents that have the power to lift and transport one’s consciousness in the way that frankincense can. Burning frankincense, along with a few other incense materials, has been an important religious ritual for many cultures for thousands of years.

Frankincense Aromatic Properties and Chemical Composition

The composition of frankincense varies by species of the tree, region, and extraction technique. We discuss the composition of our favorite essential oil from Oman sold by Eden Botanicals.

Bright, Piney: This particular oil is made up of almost 2/3 alpha-pinene. Together with sabinene (5%) and beta-pinene (2.5%), this should be dominated by the camphoreous, piney, woody, herbal notes with little nuance. However, these compounds evaporate quite quickly. Alpha-pinene has the lowest boiling point of the monoterpenes, leading to excellent diffusiveness and limited effect (only 4 hours substantivity on paper). At the very top, you find compounds like delta-3-Carene, which have a bright citrus, resinous, pine scent and only last 1 hour or less on paper. Different extraction techniques (ethanolic extraction of resinoid) are used to get longer-lasting compounds in higher proportions.

Peppery: The scratchy note at the end of the bright pine, citrus is reminiscent of black pepper. Alpha-phellandrene has a characteristic black pepper, woody note (1.3%). Other trace compounds (myrtenal, 0.2%) extend a powdery, peppery, spice note deeper into the heart.

Sweet, Woody, Herbal, Spice: Sesquiterpenes like Beta-Caryophyllene and delta-cadinene provide a spicy, sweet, dry woodiness with herbal notes. These are found in very low levels, and while not characteristic, can play an important role in the overall scent profile.