The rationale for splitting the resin into two infusions lies in its fundamentally dual nature. Frankincense resin is composed of three fractions: a volatile oil responsible for its characteristic aroma, an alcohol-soluble resin fraction rich in pentacyclic triterpenic acids known as boswellic acids, and a water-soluble gum fraction consisting mainly of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. The boswellic acids, including β-boswellic acid, 11-keto-β-boswellic acid, and acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, are lipophilic molecules that have been reported to modulate inflammatory pathways by inhibiting pro-inflammatory enzymes such as 5-lipoxygenase and human leukocyte elastase. The gum fraction, by contrast, holds hydrophilic polysaccharides that can contribute to skin hydration and barrier support. Capturing both in one topical product, the researchers reasoned, could deliver complementary bioactives through a single emulsion.

To prepare the infusions, the team ground the resin into a fine powder with a household coffee grinder to maximize surface area, then macerated 10-gram portions separately in 40 grams of sweet almond oil and 40 grams of Madinah rosewater. Each mixture was heated to 75 °C for one hour with occasional stirring, allowed to stand at room temperature for three days, and filtered through muslin cloth. The resulting oil and water infusions were stored in amber bottles under refrigeration until analysis. The extraction conditions were deliberately gentle, avoiding organic solvents entirely, which the authors argue preserves the all-natural character of the final cosmetic product.

Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed sharply distinct chemical profiles in the two media. The oil infusion gave strong positive reactions in the Salkowski and Liebermann-Burchard tests, confirming abundant triterpenoids and steroids, while the acetylation test detected hydroxyl functional groups characteristic of boswellic acid derivatives. The water infusion told a different story: a vigorous foam test indicated saponins, Dragendorff’s and Mayer’s reagent tests revealed trace alkaloids, and Fehling’s and Molisch tests pointed to reducing sugars and carbohydrates. Ferric chloride testing showed only faint phenolic responses in both infusions. These results confirmed that maceration in almond oil preferentially pulled the lipophilic terpenic and resinous constituents into solution, while rosewater extracted the hydrophilic polysaccharides, saponins, and minor alkaloids.

Antioxidant activity was assessed with the DPPH free radical scavenging assay, a widely used colorimetric method in which the purple DPPH radical loses absorbance at 517 nm as antioxidants neutralize it. Four samples were compared: plain almond oil, the frankincense oil infusion, plain rosewater, and the frankincense rosewater infusion. The oil infusion dominated, achieving 71 percent inhibition at a concentration of 343.46 ± 34.2 μg/mL. The rosewater infusion followed with 57 percent inhibition at 275.74 ± 46.4 μg/mL, plain rosewater showed 53 percent at 256.39 ± 38.9 μg/mL, and plain almond oil trailed at 40 percent and 193.50 ± 28.1 μg/mL. The standard antioxidant gallic acid reached 97 percent inhibition at 483.75 ± 27.4 μg/mL. The strong performance of the oil infusion, the authors attribute to its abundance of lipophilic boswellic acids and terpenoids, many of which are known to neutralize free radicals and modulate oxidative pathways.

With both infusions characterized, the team formulated a water-in-oil cream using a simple beeswax-almond oil-rosewater base. The oil phase combined 30 grams of frankincense oil infusion with 7.5 grams of beeswax and was heated to 75 °C until the wax melted. The aqueous phase, 14 to 23 grams of frankincense rosewater infusion depending on the batch, was heated separately to the same temperature and then added slowly into the oily phase with continuous stirring. The mixture was cooled while stirring until it thickened into a smooth, homogeneous cream. A plain control cream was prepared identically using uninfused almond oil and rosewater. Beeswax served triple duty as emulsifier, thickener, and semi-occlusive barrier former, while almond oil contributed vitamin E and emollient properties and Madinah rosewater added aroma, cooling effects, and its own antioxidant and antibacterial constituents.

Physicochemical evaluation showed the frankincense cream outperforming the plain control in several respects. The infusion-based formulation displayed an appealing fawn color, a pleasant aroma from its volatile oils and terpenoids, and a pH of 7.28, within the acceptable range for topical products though slightly above the skin’s natural surface pH of about 5.5. Its viscosity of approximately 1,200 centipoise was somewhat lower than the plain cream’s 1,350 centipoise, and rheological testing revealed shear-thinning behavior, a desirable non-Newtonian property that allows the cream to spread easily under mechanical stress while remaining stable at rest. Spreadability testing showed the frankincense cream spreading in 7 seconds versus 8 to 10 seconds for the plain version, and it washed off skin more readily.

Stability testing delivered the study’s most encouraging formulation results. Stored at 4 °C, room temperature, and 40 °C, and subjected to three freeze-thaw cycles, the frankincense cream showed no visible phase separation, liquefaction, or grittiness, whereas the plain cream exhibited a little phase separation and immediate liquefaction. The authors suggest that interactions between the resin’s boswellic acids and the cream’s lipid phase may have reinforced the structural matrix, consistent with reports that bioactive compounds in other herbal creams, such as those containing lavender and aloe vera, enhance thermal resilience. Delayed liquefaction between 40 and 60 °C further indicated improved thermal stability over the control.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy provided chemical confirmation that the manufacturing process preserved the resin’s functional groups. The pure resin spectrum showed characteristic absorption bands at 3,382 cm⁻¹ for hydroxyl stretching and at 2,971, 1,711, 1,452, 1,378, 1,264, 1,048, and 880 cm⁻¹ for carbon-hydrogen stretching, carbonyl stretching, and other vibrations. The oil and water infusions displayed modified but recognizable peak patterns confirming successful extraction of both lipophilic and hydrophilic resin components. Critically, the final cream spectrum retained bands at 3,451, 2,921, 1,744, 1,462, 1,375, 1,238, 1,029, and 723 cm⁻¹, matching the frankincense functional groups, along with peaks at 1,653 and 1,514 cm⁻¹ resembling the water infusion. The plain cream lacked these bands entirely, and the similarity between the plain and frankincense cream spectra indicated no significant chemical interactions between the resin constituents and the cream base.

The authors are careful to frame the work as preliminary. The phytochemical characterization was qualitative only, so future studies should quantify specific boswellic acids, terpenes, and polysaccharides using HPLC, LC-MS, or GC-MS to correlate chemistry with activity. The DPPH assay, though widely employed, is a chemical model rather than a biological one, and complementary cell-based antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays are needed. Cytotoxicity testing in keratinocyte or fibroblast cell lines, in vitro skin permeation studies, and formal irritancy and sensitization testing must precede any clinical evaluation, and formulation adjustments should bring the pH closer to the skin’s natural acidity. Molecular docking and mechanistic investigations could clarify how boswellic acids interact with targets in oxidative stress and skin aging pathways. Still, the study demonstrates that an ancient resin can be transformed, using nothing more exotic than almond oil, rosewater, and beeswax, into a stable modern emulsion that eliminates alcohol, mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and propylene glycol. With its dual oil- and water-soluble bioactive fractions, frankincense resin offers a genuinely multifunctional opportunity for natural anti-aging skincare, pending the safety and bioavailability studies that will determine whether the laboratory promise translates to the pharmacy shelf.

Subject of Research: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Article Title: Qualitative phytochemical profiling, antioxidant activity, and development of a water-in-oil cream containing combined oil and water infusions of frankincense resin (Boswellia spp.): a preliminary in vitro study

Article References: Javed, S., Salawi, A., Moni, S. S., Ahsan, W., Khuwaja, G., Alam, M. S., Sivadasan, D., Jabeen, A., Aziabi, M. Y., Suwaydi, H. M., Alajam, T. E. M., Nammazi, A. Y. M., & Kadumi, N. M. A. (2026). Qualitative phytochemical profiling, antioxidant activity, and development of a water-in-oil cream containing combined oil and water infusions of frankincense resin (Boswellia spp.): a preliminary in vitro study. Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 29, Article 15609. https://doi.org/10.3389/jpps.2026.15609

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/jpps.2026.15609

Keywords: frankincense, Boswellia, boswellic acids, antioxidant, cosmetics, cream formulation, DPPH, natural skincare, Qualitative, phytochemical, profiling, activity