Category: Face Cream

Our frankincense resin face cream is made differently than most — and if you’ve shopped for natural skincare, you’ve probably seen why that matters. Usually it appears as frankincense essential oil — a common addition to face creams, serums, and anti-aging products. We use frankincense too, but we do it differently. And the difference is worth explaining.

What frankincense actually is

Frankincense is the resin of the Boswellia tree, native to the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa and India. The resin has been used medicinally and ceremonially for thousands of years — it is one of the oldest recorded skincare and wellness ingredients in human history.

For skin, frankincense is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, making it useful for acne, irritation, and redness. It supports the skin’s natural renewal process, which is why it shows up so frequently in products targeting fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots. It also offers natural protection against UVB rays — the type most responsible for sun damage and premature aging.

And the scent carries its own benefit. Frankincense has been shown to interact with receptors in the brain that regulate anxiety and mood. The calming effect is real, not just pleasant.

Essential oil vs. whole resin infusion

Frankincense essential oil is produced by steam distilling the resin. The process captures the aromatic volatile compounds — what gives frankincense its smell and some of its properties. But steam distillation leaves something important behind: boswellic acids.

Boswellic acids are the compounds in frankincense most strongly associated with its anti-inflammatory and skin-renewing effects. They are large molecules that do not survive the distillation process, which means they are essentially absent from frankincense essential oil. If the anti-aging and anti-inflammatory benefits of frankincense are what you are after, essential oil alone does not deliver the full picture.

How we do it

We take whole frankincense resin and infuse it directly into the rendered tallow at very low heat for 12 to 24 hours. The slow, gentle process pulls the full range of compounds from the resin into the fat — boswellic acids included. No shortcuts, no distillation. Just resin and time.

The result smells like real frankincense — warm, earthy, and grounding in a way that a diluted essential oil rarely achieves. If you have ever smelled frankincense resin burning, you will recognize it immediately.

What the tallow adds

Beef suet tallow has a fatty acid profile remarkably close to human skin, which means it absorbs well and carries the frankincense compounds deep into the skin rather than sitting on the surface. The castor oil supports that absorption further. It is a short ingredient list, but every element is there for a reason.

How to use it

Apply a small amount at night before bed as your last step. It absorbs cleanly with no oily residue. A little goes a long way — a 2 oz jar lasts most people 2–3 months with daily use.

I use it every night. The skin benefits are real, but it is the ritual I have come to value as much as anything — a few quiet minutes at the end of the day that smell like calm.

Also worth reading: What Blue Tansy Actually Does for Your Skin — our other frankincense-containing face cream.

Blue tansy face cream gets talked about a lot in natural skincare world— usually as a selling point on a very expensive product. The oil is vivid blue, which makes for good marketing. But there are real reasons it works, and we want to explain them plainly.

What blue tansy face cream actually is

Blue tansy (Tanacetum annuum) is a flowering plant from Morocco. The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation and gets its striking blue color from a compound called chamazulene, which forms during that process. Chamazulene is a potent anti-inflammatory — it’s also what gives chamomile oil its blue tint.

For skin, that anti-inflammatory action is meaningful. Blue tansy has been used to calm redness, reduce swelling, and support the skin’s healing processes — which is why it shows up repeatedly in products targeting acne and scarring.

Why we pair it with frankincense

Our Blue Tansy face cream uses a frankincense infusion we make ourselves from raw frankincense resin — not just frankincense essential oil. The infusion process pulls a broader range of beneficial compounds from the resin, including boswellic acids, which are known to support skin cell regeneration and reduce the appearance of scarring over time.

Together, blue tansy and frankincense address two different parts of the same problem: blue tansy calms active inflammation (acne, redness, irritation), and frankincense supports the renewal of damaged skin underneath.

What the tallow does

Tallow is the base of this cream, and it’s not incidental. Grass-fed tallow has a fatty acid profile remarkably close to human skin — which means it absorbs well and carries its nutrients with it rather than sitting on the surface. It’s rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, all of which play a role in skin health and healing.

The castor oil in the formula helps with absorption — it acts as a humectant and helps pull the tallow (and everything in it) deeper into the skin.

What we’ve heard from customers

We started hearing about the scarring results before we were looking for them. Customers who came to us for acne would come back and mention that old scars — the red or purple kind that stick around long after the breakout — had started to fade. Some described significant improvement within a few weeks of consistent use. A few customers mentioned that scars they’d had for years were nearly gone after six months.

We’ve also heard from people using it on age spots and sunspots. Blue tansy helps redistribute concentrated melanin pigment over time — not by bleaching, but by gently encouraging the skin to even itself out. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the results are real.

How to use it

Apply a small amount at night as your last step. A very light layer in the morning works well under makeup — it absorbs cleanly and doesn’t leave an oily finish. Because these are concentrated ingredients, less is more. A 2 oz jar lasts most people 2–3 months.

The scent is earthy and distinctive — blue tansy has a herbal warmth, and the frankincense adds depth. It’s stronger than our other products. We like it, but it’s worth knowing before you buy.

We recommend starting with nighttime use only for the first week or two, especially if your skin is sensitive. Some people notice a slight adjustment period as the tallow and blue tansy get to work. Morning use works well too — it absorbs cleanly and doesn’t leave shine under makeup. Just keep the layer light.