Copaiba (Copaifera reticulata)
A mellow, woody single oil steam-distilled from tree resin, often described as a versatile 'booster' oil.
How to use it
3–5 drops for a grounding note, or with frankincense and orange.
Dilute to 1–3% in a carrier oil as a mellow booster in massage blends.
Safety in detail
- Max dermal use
- Dilute in a carrier oil for skin
- Phototoxic
- No
- A gentle, well-tolerated oil; dilute before topical use as usual.
- Not phototoxic. Keep out of reach of children.
Sources: Food Chemistry Advances study (2026)
Composition & chemistry
Aggregated from 15 GC-MS samples across 3 peer-reviewed open-access studies (2016–2021). Figures are the distribution across those samples — median with interquartile range — not a single reading.
- Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon 96.9%
- Oxygenated sesquiterpene 3.1%
| Constituent | Median | Typical range | Max | Detected in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| β-caryophyllene ↗ C15H24 | 50.6% | 27.2–50.9% | 51.1% | |
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| spathulenol ↗ C15H24O | 14.5% | 8.5–20.6% | 26.6% | |
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| α-bergamotene ↗ C15H24 | 7.3% | 7.2–7.3% | 7.4% | |
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| α-humulene ↗ C15H24 | 6.2% | 3.4–7.1% | 8.1% | |
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| α-copaene ↗ C15H24 | 5.1% | 2.7–6.3% | 7.6% | |
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| germacrene d ↗ C15H24 | 4.3% | 3.4–7.6% | 10.9% | |
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| β-bisabolene ↗ C15H24 | 3.3% | 3.0–3.5% | 3.7% | |
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| δ-cadinene ↗ C15H24 | 2.4% | 2.3–3.1% | 3.7% | |
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| β-elemene ↗ C15H24 | 1.6% | 1.2–1.6% | 1.6% | |
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| α-cubebene ↗ C15H24 | 1.2% | 1.1–1.3% | 1.4% | |
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+ 12 more compounds reported across the dataset.
3 peer-reviewed sources behind these figures
- Urasaki Y, Beaumont C, Workman M, Talbot JN, Hill DK, Le TT. (2020). Fast-Acting and Receptor-Mediated Regulation of Neuronal Signaling Pathways by Copaiba Essential Oil. International journal of molecular sciences.
- de Almeida LF, Portella Rde O, Bufalo J, Marques MO, Facanali R, Frei F. (2016). Non-Oxygenated Sesquiterpenes in the Essential Oil of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. Increase during the Day in the Dry Season. PloS one.
- Monteschio JO, de Vargas Junior FM, Alves da Silva AL, das Chagas RA, Fernandes T, Leonardo AP, Kaneko IN, de Moraes Pinto LA, Guerrero A, de Melo Filho AA, Ferraz VP, Fagundes GM, Muir JP. (2021). Effect of copaíba essential oil (Copaifera officinalis L.) as a natural preservative on the oxidation and shelf life of sheep burgers. PloS one.
Every figure above traces to a named table in one of these open-access papers. How this was built →
- β-Caryophyllene — the dominant sesquiterpene; widely studied for anti-inflammatory-related activity and known to interact with the body's CB2 receptor in vitro Food Chemistry Advances study (2026)
Its oil begins as resin tapped straight from the living trunk, much like maple syrup.
What the research says
An honest read of the published research — what has actually been studied, at what stage. Not medical advice or a promise of results.
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Copaiba is one of the richest natural sources of β-caryophyllene, a sesquiterpene widely studied for anti-inflammatory-related activity in laboratory and preclinical models. These are early findings about the constituent, not clinical proof of a health benefit.
Food Chemistry Advances study (2026)
Evidence & sources
Peer-reviewed research on Copaiba's chemistry and safety. These describe composition and documented effects — not health or treatment claims.
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Copaiba oil is dominated by β-caryophyllene — often around half the oil — making it one of the highest natural sources of this much-studied sesquiterpene.
Food Chemistry Advances study (2026)
Frequently asked questions
What makes copaiba special?
It's one of the richest natural sources of β-caryophyllene, a sesquiterpene studied for anti-inflammatory-related activity. That high concentration is why copaiba is so often paired with other oils in soothing blends. Food Chemistry Advances study (2026)
Where does copaiba come from?
It's tapped as an oleoresin from Copaifera trees in the Amazon, then refined into the oil. Because several Copaifera species are used, the exact composition varies by source. Food Chemistry Advances study (2026)
Is copaiba phototoxic?
No — copaiba isn't phototoxic, so there's no sun-exposure restriction. It's a gentle oil; just dilute it for skin use as usual.
Gallery
The Tree and How It’s Harvested
Copaiba (typically Copaifera reticulata or C. officinalis) comes from tall trees native to the Amazon rainforest basin across Brazil, Venezuela, and neighboring countries, where Indigenous communities have applied its resin topically for generations. Unlike most essential oils, which are distilled from leaves, flowers, bark, or wood, copaiba’s oil begins as resin tapped straight from the living trunk — a hole is drilled, the resin collected much like maple syrup, and the tree itself left standing to be tapped again in future seasons.
Aroma and Chemistry
The resin is then steam-distilled into an oil with a mellow, woody, slightly sweet aroma — subtle enough that copaiba is often used as a “booster” alongside more assertive oils rather than showcased on its own. Chemically it’s unusually concentrated in a single compound, beta-caryophyllene, a sesquiterpene also found in black pepper and clove, often making up more than half the oil.
In the Diffuser
3–5 drops alone gives a quiet, grounding background note, or it can be blended with frankincense and orange for a warmer, more rounded combination.
On Skin
Diluted to 1–3% in a carrier oil, copaiba is a common addition to massage blends, where its role is to round out and extend the character of other oils rather than dominate the blend itself.
Sourcing Note
The resin-tapping process is labor-intensive, and yields vary by tree, season, and even time of day, so batch consistency depends heavily on the supplier’s sourcing relationships — one reason we point to Young Living rather than a generic bottle of unclear origin.
Found in these blends
Copaiba is one of the oils inside 5 Young Living blends.