Frankincense CO2 extract

Lemon peel, fresh pine resin, light pepper, faint church smoke. Fresher and brighter than the resinoid; fuller and rounder than the distilled oil, with a dry, slightly powdery resin base.

Frankincense has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index. Limonene and linalool, when present, fall under IFRA specification standards on peroxide value and are EU-labelled allergens above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products. α-Pinene (pinene) is also on the list added by Regulation 2023/1545.

The terpene fraction oxidises on ageing. Store dark, sealed and cool with little headspace.

Frankincense is the gum resin of Boswellia species from dry regions. Harvesters cut the bark; a milky resin flows out and hardens into tears over a few weeks. B. carterii and B. sacra grow in Somalia, Somaliland and Oman; B. serrata in India; B. papyrifera in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan.

CO2 extraction uses supercritical carbon dioxide as the solvent. A select extract takes mainly the volatile fraction plus a small share of heavier compounds. On depressurisation the CO2 leaves completely. The product sits between the distilled oil and the resinoid: fresh like the oil, with some of the body of the resin.

A major German CO2 extractor sells separate species, for example B. carterii and B. serrata. The two smell different: carterii leans to lemon and pine; serrata leans to wood, light spice and herbs. The label should therefore name the species.

Boswellic acids are non-volatile triterpenes abundant in the resin. They dissolve poorly in CO2 under select conditions, so they are nearly absent from the odour fraction.

In perfumery frankincense CO2 serves bright incense notes, church-style colognes and woody structures. It pairs well with pink pepper, orange peel, patchouli and labdanum. Over-tapping threatens some Boswellia populations; traceable origin is worth checking.