Constituent · Monoterpene hydrocarbon
α-thujene
α-thujene is a light, volatile monoterpene hydrocarbon — the kind of fresh, often citrusy or piney top-note compound that evaporates fastest from an oil. Across our dataset it was measured in 47 oils (474 samples), concentrating most in Valerian, Cajeput, Frankincense.
Essential oils richest in α-thujene
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerian | 4.18% | 4.18%–4.18% | 4.18% | 1 |
| Cajeput | 2.34% | 2.34%–2.34% | 2.34% | 1 |
| Frankincense | 2% | 1.09%–5.33% | 8.69% | 14 |
| Nutmeg | 1.91% | 1.04%–2.44% | 3.37% | 29 |
| Wormwood | 1.4% | 0.75%–1.55% | 1.7% | 3 |
| Juniper | 1.25% | 0.86%–3.78% | 4.2% | 12 |
| Marjoram | 1.01% | 0.58%–1.04% | 6.91% | 20 |
| Thyme | 0.95% | 0.59%–1.73% | 2.38% | 75 |
| Lemon eucalyptus | 0.9% | 0.65%–1.19% | 1.47% | 3 |
| Cypress | 0.85% | 0.63%–1.13% | 1.4% | 3 |
| Oregano | 0.82% | 0.23%–1.16% | 3.44% | 9 |
| Hyssop | 0.78% | 0.42%–1.15% | 1.44% | 4 |
| Black pepper | 0.76% | 0.35%–1.38% | 2.76% | 14 |
| Orange | 0.74% | 0.05%–3.7% | 10.52% | 4 |
| Lime | 0.73% | 0.6%–0.86% | 1.1% | 19 |
| Tarragon | 0.64% | 0.64%–0.64% | 0.64% | 1 |
| Lemongrass | 0.57% | 0.37%–0.66% | 0.74% | 3 |
| Dill | 0.56% | 0.36%–3.42% | 3.8% | 7 |
| Cardamom | 0.5% | 0.2%–1.1% | 2.3% | 9 |
| Lemon | 0.43% | 0.39%–0.49% | 0.6% | 8 |
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 →