Single-oil monograph
Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)
- Phototoxic No phototoxicity
- Pregnancy Avoid
- Pets Caution
Published 2026-08-27 · adult ceiling 3% · shelf life 60 months
Frankincense is a resin oil, not a flower oil, and the difference shows up in three places: its 60-month shelf life, its pregnancy row, and the fact that it is the oil most often bought for reasons that have nothing to do with its chemistry. This monograph covers the B. sacra versus B. papyrifera distinction, the anticoagulant caution, and what a 3% blend actually is.
Safe dilution matrix
Rows are the concentration, columns are the audience. Each cell carries two lines: drops per 10 ml of carrier oil, and whether this site advises that combination. Figures come from 1 ml = 20 drops, and the bold row is the ceiling for this oil.
| Dilution | Per 30 ml | Adult | Child 6+ | Pregnancy | Pets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 3 | 1 drops ✓ advised | 1 drops ✓ advised | 1 drops ✗ not advised | 1 drops ✗ not advised |
| 1% | 6 | 2 drops ✓ advised | 2 drops ✓ advised | 2 drops ✗ not advised | 2 drops ✗ not advised |
| 2% | 12 | 4 drops ✓ advised | 4 drops ✗ not advised | 4 drops ✗ not advised | 4 drops ✗ not advised |
| 3% | 18 | 6 drops ✓ advised | 6 drops ✗ not advised | 6 drops ✗ not advised | 6 drops ✗ not advised |
What each concentration is normally for: 0.5% — Facial blends, sensitive or broken skin, children 6-15, first patch test · 1% — Everyday adult body and massage blends, daily leave-on use · 2% — Short-term localised adult use, 7 to 10 days then re-assess · 3% — Adult ceiling for robust oils, small area, short course only
Contraindications & handling
✓ no restriction · ! caution · ✗ avoid. An avoid row means choosing a different material, not lowering the concentration.
- ✗ Pregnancy & breastfeeding — avoid
- ! Children under 16 — caution
- ! Households with pets — caution
- ✓ Epilepsy — ok
- ✓ Antihypertensive medication — ok
- ✗ Anticoagulant medication — avoid
Four-step skin patch test
- Dilute 1 drop in 5 ml of carrier oil (1%). Frankincense is thick — warm the bottle in your hand first.
- Apply 2 drops to the inner forearm.
- Cover for 24 hours.
- Read at 24 and 48 hours. Frankincense resin can trigger a delayed reaction in people who react to other resins, so the 48-hour read matters.
Botanical record
- Family
- Burseraceae · Burseraceae
- Botanical part
- resin
- Extraction
- steam-distillation
- Origin
- Oman (Dhofar), Somalia, Yemen
- Chemotype
- alpha-Thujene / incensole acetate profile; B. papyrifera differs
- Phototoxicity
- No phototoxicity
- Shelf life
- 60 months
Principal constituents
- alpha-Thujene 32%
- alpha-Pinene 20%
- Limonene 12%
- Myrcene 6%
- para-Cymene 3%
- Octyl acetate 2%
Storage & oxidation
Frankincense is a resin oil and behaves like one: it thickens, darkens and slowly resinifies rather than oxidising into hydroperoxides. There is no meaningful hydroperoxide risk, and the oil improves for several years. Store upright and cool, and expect a heavier pour after five years, not a spoiled smell.
Rotation & substitution
A slow, low-turnover oil that people use for years without changing. Rotate it with myrrh only if you tolerate both — they are chemically close enough that a reaction to one raises the odds with the other. A better rotation partner is a wood or root oil such as atlas cedarwood or ginger.
Adjacent materials
Boswellia papyrifera
The Ethiopian species sold as "frankincense" in most of the world. Octyl acetate dominant (up to 60%)
Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) · monograph
The other biblical resin