Constituent · Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon
α-cubebene
α-cubebene is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon — a heavier, woody or spicy base-note compound that lingers longer than the light terpenes. Across our dataset it was measured in 33 oils (155 samples), concentrating most in Manuka, Lemongrass, Laurel.
Essential oils richest in α-cubebene
Measured relative composition (GC peak-area %) pooled across published GC-MS samples — median, typical range (middle 50%) and the maximum seen.
| Oil | Median | Typical range | Max | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manuka | 4.79% | 3.41%–6.18% | 6.55% | 4 |
| Lemongrass | 4.58% | 4.58%–4.58% | 4.58% | 1 |
| Laurel | 4.25% | 4.25%–4.25% | 4.25% | 1 |
| Cardamom | 3.1% | 3.1%–3.1% | 3.1% | 1 |
| Helichrysum | 1.84% | 1.58%–2.11% | 2.37% | 2 |
| Copaiba | 1.35% | 1.32%–1.57% | 2.47% | 11 |
| Citronella | 1.3% | 0.66%–2.18% | 3.05% | 3 |
| Wormwood | 1.08% | 1.08%–1.08% | 1.08% | 1 |
| Basil | 0.9% | 0.7%–1.9% | 2.94% | 30 |
| Cedarwood | 0.8% | 0.2%–10.13% | 12.8% | 8 |
| Ginger | 0.69% | 0.69%–0.69% | 0.69% | 1 |
| Vitex | 0.65% | 0.65%–0.65% | 0.65% | 1 |
| Melissa | 0.54% | 0.4%–0.72% | 0.91% | 6 |
| Clary sage | 0.51% | 0.4%–0.61% | 0.71% | 2 |
| Juniper | 0.5% | 0.2%–0.51% | 2.3% | 9 |
| Orange | 0.5% | 0.5%–0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| Grapefruit | 0.45% | 0.43%–0.46% | 0.47% | 2 |
| Tea tree | 0.4% | 0.24%–0.55% | 0.7% | 2 |
| Cypress | 0.38% | 0.25%–0.49% | 0.49% | 4 |
| Geranium | 0.36% | 0.21%–0.53% | 0.76% | 10 |
Oils in our library are linked above — open any profile for its full composition, safety panel and the research behind it.
Related constituents
Other sesquiterpene hydrocarbon compounds across the oils.
Figures are GC peak-area percentages pooled across published GC-MS samples, not concentrations, and describe chemistry — not health effects. How this is built →