Frankincense and Skin: What Does Human Research Show?

Begin with the preparation

“Frankincense and skin” sounds like a single research topic. A study might examine an isolated compound, a defined extract, an essential oil or a finished cream. Reading the preparation carefully helps us understand what the findings apply to.

One human study provides a useful example. Published in Planta Medica in 2010, it compared a cream containing 0.5% boswellic acids with the same cream base without those added compounds. Fifteen women applied the creams once daily for 30 days, with each cream used on a different half of the face. [1]

What did researchers report?

The authors reported improvements in tactile roughness and fine lines on the side treated with boswellic acids, alongside instrumental changes including improved elasticity. The abstract reported good tolerability during the study. [1]

The split-face design is useful because each participant provides her own comparison. The small sample and short application period limit how broadly the findings can be applied.

What remains unanswered?

The study tested a defined cream containing boswellic acids. It did not test Royal Green Hojari resin or an Authentic Body And Soul® balm. Its reported results therefore cannot establish that either would produce the same effects.

Nor does this abstract establish skin-barrier repair, universal tolerability or treatment of a skin condition. Those are separate questions requiring appropriate evidence.

A study note worth keeping

When saving a paper to your own botanical reading list, record four things: the preparation, the participants, the comparison and the outcomes measured. Then add one sentence describing what remains unknown.

For this paper, that last sentence might read: “A small study of a specific boswellic-acid cream cannot predict the results of a different frankincense formulation.”

That habit keeps scientific curiosity connected to the actual experiment. It also makes the next paper easier to compare: did it test the same material, in the same way, for the same question?

Our approach to botanical education

At Authentic Body And Soul®, we want ingredient education to make the original research easier to understand. We name the preparation studied, link to the source and explain where the evidence stops. The reader should be able to explore a scientific finding without being asked to treat it as a promise about a product.

Continue exploring: What Are Boswellic Acids?; What Is Royal Green Hojari Frankincense?; the Royal Green Hojari pillar guide.

• Royal Green Hojari Frankincense:

  A Guide to the Resin, Its Heritage and the Research

• Frankincense: Resin vs. Essential Oil — understanding different preparations.
• What Is Royal Green Hojari Frankincense? — botanical identity, trade descriptions and grade.
• What Are Boswellic Acids? — the compounds and how researchers measure them.

Reference

1. Pedretti A, Capezzera R, Zane C, Facchinetti E, Calzavara-Pinton P. Effects of topical boswellic acid on photo and age-damaged skin: clinical, biophysical, and echographic evaluations in a double-blind, randomized, split-face study. Planta Medica. 2010;76(6):555–560. DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1240581. PubMed, PMID 19918712. Study note based on the abstract; no independent full-text appraisal was performed.