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Before you buy
Free standard US shipping over $39, and free FedEx 2-day to Mainland USA and Alaska over $100. Ships from Keaau, Hawaii within 1 to 2 business days. Local pickup at Miracle Botanicals Keaau is usually ready in 24 hours.
Returns accepted within 45 days of delivery. Reach out and we will arrange the return or the exchange for another single essential oil.
Amber glass. Keep the cap sealed and store away from heat and direct light.
Copal Santo Essential Oil (Bursera Copallifera) "Mexican Frankincense"
- One named Bursera species, not a blend. Steam-distilled copal resin from Mexico, one we keep and use ourselves rather than a nameless blend.
- A cousin of frankincense and myrrh. Bursera copallifera is a Burseraceae resin, kin to the incense trees.
- Bright citrus with a soft, woody depth. The fresh side of copal, sitting over its resin.
- A monoterpene-rich resin oil. Alpha-pinene, limonene and phellandrene are its main components.
- Third-party tested, in small batches. An outside lab screens it for pesticides, synthetics and adulterants.
- The same oil in every size. Pick the bottle that suits you on the Compare tab, and start small if copal is new to you. Compare sizes.
Botanical name
Bursera copallifera
Origin
Mexico
Plant part
Resin
Extraction
Steam Distillation
Perfumery note
Base
Aroma
Fresh, Citrus, Woody
$19.97
In stock. Ships from Keaau, Hawaii in 1 to 2 business days.
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Choose sizeBigger bottles cost less per ml
Quantity
Free gift: Niaouli Organic 5ml, a $10.97 value
Unlocks on orders over $100
100% pure, nothing added and nothing removed
Batch-coded and quality checked
Pickup at Miracle Botanicals Keaau, usually ready in 24 hours.
Store information.
Single origin
Copal resin, Mexico
Steam Distillation
Mexico
Family owned
Big Island Hawaii since 2011
45-day returns
No-fuss returns and exchanges
Product specification
Botanical NameBursera copallifera
Common NameCopal Santo
Plant PartResin
Method of ExtractionSteam Distillation
Country of OriginMexico
Oil Color / ConsistencyYellow, Clear
AromaFresh, Citrus, Woody
Perfumery NoteBase
Our quality promise
The same standard, every bottle
100% pure
A single ingredient, nothing added and nothing removed
Batch-coded
Quality checked on arrival in Keaau
Family owned
Big Island Hawaii since 2011
45-day returns
No-fuss returns and exchanges
Copal Santo, the resin oil of the Mexican tree Bursera copallifera
6 benefits of Copal Santo Essential Oil
A fresh incense resin for the diffuser
In a diffuser, Copal Santo fills a room with a fresh, citrus-lifted incense resin, cleaner and lighter than frankincense. A few drops carry the scent of burning copal without any smoke. It suits people who want the character of copal incense in the air rather than on charcoal.
The ceremonial incense of Mesoamerica
Copal has been burned as incense across Mesoamerica since long before the Spanish arrived, from Aztec and Maya ceremony to the sahumerio still lit today. The distilled oil brings that same resin into a diffuser, where the raw resin would sit on a charcoal disc. Its history is incense, and the scent carries that plainly.
A lift for heavier resins and woods
Copal Santo carries a bright, fresh opening that lifts heavier resins and woods, which is why perfumers use it over deeper, slower materials. A little sits above the heavy resins and keeps a blend from turning too sweet or too dense. It reads as the clean, citrus edge on a resin accord.
A resin to wear, mixed into a carrier
Mixed into a carrier oil, Copal Santo makes a quiet personal fragrance that reads as clean, woody resin rather than perfume. Its slow, resinous character stays close to the skin and holds for hours instead of flashing off. It suits anyone who finds sweeter resins too heavy to wear.
A connoisseur's copal, named to the species
Copal Santo is the resin of one named species, Bursera copallifera, where the word copal often covers an unnamed mix of resins or a fragrance oil. Naming the species is the quickest way to tell a real copal from a borrowed name. It belongs with the rare oils we keep for buyers who want a copal they can trace to one tree.
A brighter cousin of the incense resins
Born in the same family as frankincense and myrrh, copal smells like a fresher, more citrus-lifted take on those resins. Where frankincense leans warm and myrrh leans bitter, copal stays bright and clean over its resin. It gives a blend the incense-family character with a lighter face.
How to use
Diffuser
In the airStart with 3 to 5 drops in a water diffuser for a medium room, then add a drop at a time until the scent suits you. Copal Santo carries well, so a little is plenty. Diffuse for 30 to 60 minutes, then give the room a break for the same time, with fresh air moving.
On the skin
Diluted for the bodyDilute Copal Santo to 1 to 3 percent before it touches skin, which is 6 to 18 drops in 30 ml of a carrier oil. Keep the face lower, at 3 to 7 drops in 30 ml. Patch test on the inner forearm and wait a day before wider use. Because Copal Santo is a distilled resin oil, it carries no sun-sensitivity caution, and we do not use it neat or keep it within reach of children.
As a personal fragrance
Rolled on, dilutedFor a personal scent, dilute Copal Santo to the same 1 to 3 percent in a carrier or a roll-on, which is 6 to 18 drops in 30 ml. The resin makes it last on the skin, so a light touch carries through the day. We keep it diluted and never wear it neat.
3 recipes using this oil
Tap a recipe to see the full formula and method.
4 dropsCopal Santo Essential Oil
2 dropsFrankincense Sacra Essential Oil
2 dropsLime Essential Oil
Method. Add the drops to a water diffuser and run a 30 to 60 minute session. The lime lifts the fresh opening and the frankincense deepens the resin, so the copal sits in the middle as the bright incense. Run it in short bursts with fresh air between.
30 mlJojoba Oil
8 dropsCopal Santo Essential Oil
3 dropsHawaiian Sandalwood Essential Oil
1 dropVetiver Essential Oil
Method. Mix the drops into the jojoba in a small roll-on bottle and shake. Roll a little onto the wrists and the collarbone, where the sandalwood and vetiver hold the copal close. Cap it and keep it out of sunlight.
30 mlJojoba Oil
4 dropsCopal Santo Essential Oil
2 dropsSweet Orange Essential Oil
Method. Blend the drops into the jojoba and dab a little on the pulse points. The sweet orange keeps the copal fresh and bright, and at this strength it stays soft on the skin. Cap it and use it within a few months.
Compare sizes and pick your value
Every size is the same oil. The larger the bottle, the lower the price per ml.
SizePricePer mlValue
Frequently asked questions
7 answers drawn from the product specification and our own use of this oil.
Copal Santo smells fresh and citrus over a clean, piney resin, brighter and softer than frankincense. As it settles, a warm, honeyed resin comes through, drying down to a quiet, woody incense. The fresh opening goes first, and the clean resin is what stays.
No, Copal Santo is not the same as frankincense, though the two are related. Frankincense comes from Boswellia resin, while Copal Santo comes from a different tree, Bursera copallifera, in the same incense-resin family. Copal reads fresher and more citrus-lifted, where frankincense is warmer and sweeter.
No, copal and copaiba are different resins from unrelated trees. Copaiba is an oleoresin tapped from Copaifera, a legume, while the copal here is the distilled resin of one Bursera species. The names get confused, but the two plants are not related.
The difference between Copal Santo and Palo Santo is the plant part and the place. Both come from the genus Bursera, but Copal Santo is distilled from resin in Mexico, while Palo Santo is distilled from the aged wood of Bursera graveolens in Ecuador. Copal Santo reads fresher and more citrus-resinous, and Palo Santo is woodier with a slightly minty edge.
No, the distilled oil and the burning resin are not the same, though both come from Bursera copallifera. The essential oil is the steam-distilled, volatile part of the resin, made for a diffuser or for diluted use on the skin. The raw resin is the solid lump, burned over charcoal as incense. This bottle holds the distilled oil, not the resin to burn.
Yes, Copal Santo is safe on skin once diluted to 1 to 3 percent in carrier oil, patch tested first, and never used neat. Steam distilled from resin, it is not phototoxic and needs no sun caution. No pregnancy-specific safety data was found for Bursera copallifera, so during pregnancy or nursing the careful choice is to check with a qualified practitioner first. Keep it away from children.
Copal Santo blends well with lime, frankincense and sandalwood, and it sits under almost any citrus, resin or wood. Use a bright citrus to lift its fresh opening, and deeper resins and woods to hold it. Keep it low in a blend, where its resin carries further than you expect.
Customer reviews
5.00
★★★★★
Based on 5 reviews
What customers say about this oil.
5 star54 star03 star02 star01 star0
M
Melissa
★★★★★
A
Amy
★★★★★
Love it!
Love it!
J
Joshua Black
★★★★★
This essential oil gives a whole new side
This essential oil gives a whole new side to frankincense an almost floral fragrance with a slightly woody/smoky side but not so strong it dominates other essential oils. It will likely smell different to each person especially if used on their body.
Showing 1–3 of 3 published reviews
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