Boswellia spp. (including B. sacra, B. carterii, B. frereana)
Appearance
Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid (essential oil)
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Ethiopia, India, Oman, Somalia, Yemen
Pyramid
Base
Pine-sharp resin over a lemony freshness, drying to a sweet, churchy warmth. Frankincense smells like cutting into a Boswellia tree and watching the white tears bleed -- terpenic, bright, ancient.
Pine-sharp and lemony-fresh on opening, drying to a warm, sweet, balsamic-resinous heart. Less smoky than myrrh, less heavy than benzoin, with a particular transparent brightness in the top notes. The terpenic freshness is what distinguishes quality olibanum from cheap incense: good frankincense smells clean and lifted, not musty or stale.
Soft, sweet, churchy warmth -- tenacious and meditative
The Full Story
Olibanum (frankincense) is the oleo-gum-resin harvested from several Boswellia species -- primarily B. sacra (Oman, Yemen), B. carterii (Somalia, Ethiopia), and B. frereana (Somalia). The resin exudes as milky 'tears' from bark incisions and hardens on exposure to air. The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation; the absolute and resinoid by solvent extraction.
The volatile profile is dominated by alpha-pinene (piney-fresh), limonene (citrus), alpha-thujene (herbal), and incensole acetate (the molecule increasingly studied for anxiolytic effects). The fresh, terpenic top note -- sharper and more citrusy than most people expect from 'church incense' -- gives way to a warm, balsamic, slightly sweet heart as the monoterpenes evaporate and the heavier sesquiterpenes and diterpenes remain.
In perfumery, olibanum is a important resins. It functions across the entire pyramid: terpenic freshness in the top, resinous warmth in the heart, and a soft, sweet-balsamic tenacity in the base. Central to incense, amber, chypre, and sacred-themed compositions. The material has been traded for over 5,000 years.
This note in Première Peau. Albâtre Sépia · Simili Mirage. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Incensole acetate, a diterpene found exclusively in Boswellia resin, was shown in a 2008 FASEB Journal study to activate TRPV3 ion channels in the brain, producing anxiolytic and antidepressive effects in mice. This may partly explain why frankincense has been used in religious ceremonies across multiple cultures for millennia.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of oleo-gum-resin tears yields frankincense essential oil (yield 3-10% depending on species and quality). Solvent extraction produces an absolute with heavier, more balsamic character. CO2 extraction captures a fuller olfactory profile than steam distillation. The resin itself is used directly as incense (burned on charcoal or in electric warmers).
Molecular Formula
Complex mixture (no single formula)
CAS Number
8016-36-2
Botanical Name
Boswellia spp. (including B. sacra, B. carterii, B. frereana)
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Frankincense, Olibanum resin
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
188 hours at 100%
Appearance
Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid (essential oil)
Boiling Point
137.00 to 141.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
96.00 °F. TCC ( 35.56 °C. )
Specific Gravity
0.85500 to 0.88000 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index
1.46600 to 1.47700 @ 20.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Olibanum (frankincense) is a foundational resinous material functioning across the full pyramid. Top: terpenic freshness (alpha-pinene, limonene). Heart: resinous warmth. Base: sweet-balsamic tenacity. Sourced from Boswellia sacra, B. carterii, and B. frereana. Central to incense, amber, chypre, and sacred compositions. One of the oldest traded aromatic materials in human history.
