# Caryophyllene oxide

> Caryophyllene oxide is the oxidation product of beta-caryophyllene, a less aromatic sesquiterpene epoxide that tends to increase as cannabis ages in air.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/caryophyllene-oxide.html
- Also written: beta-caryophyllene oxide, β-caryophyllene oxide, caryophyllene epoxide, BCPO
- Glossary category: Cannabinoids and terpenes · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Caryophyllene oxide is an epoxide formed when [beta-caryophyllene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/beta-caryophyllene.md) reacts with oxygen. The plant makes some, but much of what a lab finds in dried flower forms during drying and storage. Its smell is faint, woody and dry compared with the spicy parent compound.

## In practice

Read it as an age and handling marker. Fresh, well-stored flower usually shows little caryophyllene oxide relative to beta-caryophyllene; flower that has been dried warm, stored in air or kept for a long time tends to show a higher ratio. Comparing the oxide-to-parent ratio between two COAs of the same cultivar is a quick, rough way to see which sample was handled more gently, provided both labs report both compounds.

## Don't confuse with

- **Beta-caryophyllene**: the aromatic parent compound.
- **Humulene epoxides**: related oxidation products of [humulene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/humulene.md).
- **CBN**: also an age marker, but from [cannabinoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) oxidation.

## Related terms

[Beta-caryophyllene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/beta-caryophyllene.md), [Sesquiterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sesquiterpene.md), [Terpenoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpenoid.md), [Terpene profile](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-profile.md), [CBN](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbn.md)

## Read more

- [Long-term storage: keeping cured flower potent and aromatic](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/long-term-storage.md)

## Sources

1. Booth JK, Bohlmann J. 2019. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa: from plant genome to humans. Plant Science 284:67-72.
2. Ross SA, ElSohly MA. 1996. The volatile oil composition of fresh and air-dried buds of Cannabis sativa. Journal of Natural Products 59(1):49-51.