Resinous essential oil
Frankincense
Boswellia carterii
Frankincense oil is distilled from the dried resin that seeps from Boswellia trees in the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia. Boswellia carterii is the species most often sold, and many botanists treat it as the same species as Boswellia sacra. The scent is clean, peppery and slightly lemony, with a resinous depth that has made it a temple and church incense for thousands of years. Today it is often chosen for calming and meditative blends and as a base note that rounds out citrus. It is gentle in normal use, but it is rich in pinene, so old, oxidised oil is more likely to irritate skin.
Safety at a glance
- Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
- Children From age 2
- Dogs Generally well tolerated
- Cats Use with caution
- Sunlight Not phototoxic
- On skin No published maximum
Reference
| Botanical name | Boswellia carterii |
|---|---|
| Plant family | Burseraceae |
| Plant part | Resin |
| Extraction | steam distillation |
| Main origins | Somalia, Kenya and Oman |
| Aroma family | Resinous |
| Note | Base note |
| Aroma | Clean, peppery resin with a lemony top |
| Main constituents | alpha-pinene, limonene, alpha-thujene, myrcene and beta-caryophyllene |
| Common uses | calm, meditation, skin and sleep |
| Suggested maximum on skin | No published maximum |
| Phototoxic | No |
| Shelf life once opened | 1 to 2 years |
| Pregnancy | Generally well tolerated |
| Children | From age 2 |
| Dogs | Generally well tolerated |
| Cats | Use with caution |
| Safety notes | No skin limit is commonly set, but frankincense is rich in pinene and limonene, and oxidised oil is more likely to cause skin sensitisation. It is on the IFPA list of oils used in pregnancy. Pet poison lines do not flag it, but cats process many oil compounds slowly, so diffuse briefly and let them leave the room. |
Blends well with
Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Focus, Essential Oil Blends for Calm, Essential Oil Blends for Seasonal Comfort
Sources
- Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
- Aromatherapy and pregnancy guidelines, International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (hosted by NAHA)
- Cats and essential oil safety, Tisserand Institute