Frankincense: From Ancient Temples to Your Skincare Routine

Frankincense has been treasured for thousands of years, and not just because it smells good.

Frankincense comes from the resin of Boswellia trees. Small cuts are made in the bark, the tree releases a sticky resin, and that resin eventually hardens into the little golden “tears” that have been traded across the Middle East and beyond since ancient times.

Frankincense is also something rather unusual in the skincare world: it’s a holy oil.

Frankincense and its fragrant resin have been used in temples, sanctuaries and religious ceremonies across different faiths and cultures for thousands of years. It appears in the biblical tradition as part of sacred incense and offerings, and its ceremonial use continued in Christian traditions and other religious practices. There is something rather wonderful about putting an ingredient on your skin today that has been considered precious for millennia.

But history and holiness aren’t the only reasons frankincense interests us.

Frankincense essential oil contains naturally occurring compounds that have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties in laboratory research. Researchers continue to study frankincense and Boswellia for these and other properties.

Frankincense is a fascinating botanical with an extraordinary history, an aromatic essential oil and naturally occurring compounds that continue to attract scientific interest.

That's why you'll find frankincense essential oil in both our Vita Glow Energizing Morning Serum and Vita Glow Relaxing Evening Serum, where we combine it with carefully selected plant oils and other essential oils as part of our natural approach to caring for mature skin.

We like ingredients with a story.

And an ingredient that has traveled from ancient temples to the modern skincare cabinet has a pretty good one.