How does Boswellia carterii differ from Boswellia papyrifera?

B. carterii, typically from Somalia and Somaliland, gives a softer, sweeter oil with a rounder resinous body. B. papyrifera, typically Ethiopian, is noticeably sharper and more turpenic with a stronger green-citrus lift. They are not substitutes for one another in a formulation, and a specification that names only 'frankincense' does not constrain which you receive.

Why does the profile vary between lots?

The trees are wild rather than cultivated. Rainfall, tapping interval, tree age, collection season and post-harvest sorting all vary between batches, and all affect the distilled profile. This is characteristic of the material. If you need continuity across production runs, reserve against a single lot rather than reordering against the product name.

Is a GC-MS available before purchase?

Where a GC-MS has been completed for a lot it is listed in the documentation panel and released to verified business accounts. Where it has not, the panel says so. We do not supply a report from a different lot as though it described the one you are buying.

Boswellia sacra — Reference photograph of the material, not of a specific lot. Unknown author, Public domain · 7 photographs

SKU: FRANKINCENSE-OIL-001
Material: Essential Oil
Origin: Somalia
Extraction: Steam distillation
Plant part: Oleo-gum-resin
Lots held: 2

Frankincense OilSample data

Somali Frankincense Oil

Boswellia carterii(Burseraceae)

AvailableSomalia21.7 kg unreserved

GC-MS AvailableCOA AvailableOrigin VerifiedTraceableSample AvailableBulk AvailableSeasonalWild Harvested

Steam-distilled Boswellia carterii oil — bright terpenic lift over a dry, resinous, faintly citric body.

100 g

$58.00

$0.58 / g

MOQ

100 g

Pack size

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Volume pricing

Quantity	Per g
1–500 g	$0.58
500–5,000 g	$0.49

Frankincense oil distilled from Boswellia carterii resin tapped in northern Somalia. The species matters more than the grade name: B. carterii yields a distinctly softer, sweeter and less turpenic oil than B. papyrifera from Ethiopia, and the two are not interchangeable in a formulation.

The oil opens with a bright, slightly citric-terpenic lift from alpha-pinene and limonene, settling into a dry, papery resinous body with a faint balsamic sweetness. It is one of the few materials that reads simultaneously as fresh and ancient, which is why it functions so well as a bridge between citrus top notes and heavy resinous bases.

Resin is collected by tapping wild trees during defined seasons, then hand-sorted before distillation. Because the trees are wild rather than cultivated, batch variation is inherent to the material and is best managed by evaluating and reserving against a specific lot.

Declared origin: Somalia
Additional origins: Not recorded
Harvest season: Primary tapping season, spring
Harvest year: 2025
Traceability: Recorded to collection area and distillation batch. Collector identity is held internally and is not published.

Lots

SOM-FRK-2025-011Origin verified

Available

Origin: Somalia
Harvest: 2025
Available: 15,500 g
Testing: Completed

Trace this lot

Harvest / collectionHarvest · 10 May 2025
Raw material collected at declared origin during the 2025 season.
Steam distillationProcessing · 11 Jun 2025
Steam distillation carried out at origin. Batch identified as SOM-FRK-2025-011.
Intake and identificationIntake · 12 Jul 2025
Batch received, weighed and assigned a lot reference against the supplier declaration.
Analytical testing completedTesting · 13 Jul 2025
Analysis completed for this lot. Reports are released per the documentation panel.
Origin declaration verifiedDocumentation · 14 Aug 2025
Supplier origin declaration checked against shipping and batch documentation.

Supplier and producer identity is held internally and is not published. Disclosure to a buyer of record is handled case by case.

SOM-FRK-2025-014

Available

Origin: Somalia
Harvest: 2025
Available: 6,200 g
Testing: In progress

Trace this lot

Harvest / collectionHarvest · 10 May 2025
Raw material collected at declared origin during the 2025 season.
Steam distillationProcessing · 11 Jun 2025
Steam distillation carried out at origin. Batch identified as SOM-FRK-2025-014.
Intake and identificationIntake · 12 Jul 2025
Batch received, weighed and assigned a lot reference against the supplier declaration.

Supplier and producer identity is held internally and is not published. Disclosure to a buyer of record is handled case by case.

Opens terpenic and lightly citric, developing a dry resinous heart with balsamic warmth. Moderate tenacity; supports rather than dominates. Works as a bridge between citrus and heavy resin or wood bases.

Resinous92

Terpenic74

Citrus52

Balsamic58

Woody44

Green30

Relative prominence of each descriptor, recorded on evaluation. Indicative only; not an analytical measurement.

Botanical name: Boswellia carterii
Botanical family: Burseraceae
Common name: Olibanum
Material type: Essential Oil
Plant part: Oleo-gum-resin
Extraction method: Steam distillation
Extraction technology: Stainless steel column still, atmospheric pressure
Colour: Colourless to pale straw
Appearance: Mobile liquid
INCI name: Boswellia Carterii Oil
CAS number: 89957-98-2
EINECS: 289-620-2
HS code: 3301.29
CITES status: Not CITES-listed
REACH: Registration status is supplier-dependent and confirmed per shipment for EU destinations.
Shelf life: 36 months
Storage: Store in full, tightly sealed amber glass or lined steel, away from light and heat, ideally between 4 and 15 °C. Headspace accelerates oxidation; decant into smaller vessels as stock is drawn down.
Allergens: Allergen content is determined per lot by analysis. Where an allergen declaration is listed for a lot, it reflects that lot only. Where no declaration is listed, none has been issued and none should be assumed.
Regulatory notes: Boswellia carterii is not CITES-listed. Some Boswellia species are assessed as threatened by conservation bodies; harvesting-interval and regeneration questions form part of our supplier assessment.

Natural materials vary by harvest, season and lot. Specifications describe the referenced lot and are not a guarantee for future batches.

Fine Fragrance

Alcoholic fine fragrance, extrait and eau de parfum formulation.

Incense & Bakhoor

Incense, bakhoor, joss and traditional burning preparations.

Cosmetics & Skincare

Leave-on and rinse-off cosmetic formulation.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy and wellness formulation.

Attar Production

Traditional attar and mukhallat compounding.

5 documents on file · 2 available on request

AllergenAllergen Declaration
Documentation available upon request
COACertificate of Analysis — SOM-FRK-2025-011
Physical constants, refractive index, optical rotation and specific gravity for the referenced lot.
Documentation available upon request
COACertificate of Analysis — SOM-FRK-2025-014
Physical constants, refractive index, optical rotation and specific gravity for the referenced lot.
Documentation available upon request
GC-MSGC-MS Report — SOM-FRK-2025-014
Full component profile with alpha-pinene, limonene and octyl acetate quantified.
Documentation available upon request
GC-MSGC-MS Report — SOM-FRK-2025-011
Full component profile with alpha-pinene, limonene and octyl acetate quantified.
Documentation available upon request
IFRAIFRA Conformity Certificate
Documentation available upon request
SDSSafety Data Sheet
GHS classification, handling and transport information.
Documentation available upon request

Documentation is issued per lot where it exists. Where a document is listed as available on request, it has not yet been published to this catalogue. Sign in to access documents released to account holders.

Wild-harvested from tapped trees. Over-tapping is a documented risk in this category and reduces both tree health and resin quality. We record tapping-interval information at lot level where the collector supplies it; where it is absent, it is shown as not recorded rather than assumed acceptable.

ISO 9235 Conformity: Claimed by supplier — certificate not on file

Packaging options

100 g amber glass
500 g amber glass
1 kg lined aluminium
5 kg lined steel
25 kg lined steel drum

Shipping eligibility is subject to destination-country regulations. Transit estimates are shown only where a configured shipping lane provides them.

How does Boswellia carterii differ from Boswellia papyrifera?: B. carterii, typically from Somalia and Somaliland, gives a softer, sweeter oil with a rounder resinous body. B. papyrifera, typically Ethiopian, is noticeably sharper and more turpenic with a stronger green-citrus lift. They are not substitutes for one another in a formulation, and a specification that names only 'frankincense' does not constrain which you receive.
Why does the profile vary between lots?: The trees are wild rather than cultivated. Rainfall, tapping interval, tree age, collection season and post-harvest sorting all vary between batches, and all affect the distilled profile. This is characteristic of the material. If you need continuity across production runs, reserve against a single lot rather than reordering against the product name.
Is a GC-MS available before purchase?: Where a GC-MS has been completed for a lot it is listed in the documentation panel and released to verified business accounts. Where it has not, the panel says so. We do not supply a report from a different lot as though it described the one you are buying.