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.
Product specification
Our quality promise
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.
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.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
7 answers drawn from the product specification and our own use of this oil.
Frequently bought together
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