Constituent · Monoterpene hydrocarbon
α-pinene
A dry, resinous pine-needle monoterpene found across conifers and rosemary.
Essential oils richest in α-pinene
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred frankincense | 66.25% | 63.65%–68.84% | 71.44% | 2 |
| Cypress | 45.93% | 40.62%–52.74% | 60.5% | 8 |
| Frankincense | 39.34% | 21.83%–55.78% | 78.45% | 15 |
| Vitex | 27.94% | 27.94%–27.94% | 27.94% | 1 |
| Pine | 27.8% | 21.9%–34.4% | 55.76% | 21 |
| Myrtle | 25.93% | 19.25%–37.44% | 65.78% | 53 |
| Juniper | 21.1% | 15.9%–28.85% | 90.05% | 31 |
| Goldenrod | 13.1% | 8.65%–23.3% | 33.1% | 7 |
| Rosemary | 10.9% | 6.98%–13.65% | 31.8% | 65 |
| Helichrysum | 8.45% | 4.03%–11.47% | 15.13% | 23 |
| Carrot seed | 8.08% | 4.95%–10.37% | 18.52% | 8 |
| Eucalyptus globulus | 7.3% | 3.6%–11.4% | 18.15% | 9 |
| Blue tansy | 7.27% | 4.71%–9.82% | 12.37% | 2 |
| Balsam fir | 7.09% | 7.09%–7.09% | 7.09% | 1 |
| Niaouli | 7.08% | 7.08%–7.08% | 7.08% | 1 |
| Nutmeg | 6.66% | 2.64%–10.04% | 21.31% | 33 |
| Coriander | 6.23% | 1%–8.89% | 13.42% | 25 |
| Spike lavender | 5.93% | 5.44%–6.38% | 7.17% | 12 |
| Black pepper | 5.7% | 2.69%–7.62% | 16.56% | 19 |
| Laurel | 4.73% | 3.61%–6% | 16.7% | 21 |
Oils in our library are linked above — open any profile for its full composition, safety panel and the research behind it.
Related constituents
Other monoterpene 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 →