RBK Aromatherapy LLC
I am a Certified, Professional & Trained Clinical Aromatherapist in Central New Jersey, USA
My specialty is working with those in Hospice. I consult with many Hospice Organizations bringing Aromatherapy to their patients. My other specialty is working with Frankincense Boswellia resins and also Boswellic Acid Extract to help those with chronic conditions.
I give courses on Aromatherapy and Frankincense resins. I wrote a book on Frankincense resins and how to use them. I have been published in many Aromatherapy and Herbalist Newsletters.
Contact Information
Robin Kessler, CCA
Mailing Address:
50 Westboro Lane, Monroe Township, Monroe Township, 08831
FEATURE STORY
From the HWB Member Newsletter, 02/2026
For a woman known as “The Frankincense Queen”, Robin Kessler doesn’t let the loft of that title keep her from staying connected to the work on the ground and acting in service of others. A NAHA (National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists) Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and Continuing Education Provider, Robin has done groundbreaking work in aromatherapy in hospice and a deep dive into Frankincense resins, showcasing more than a dozen species in her book “Frankincense Resins: The Journey and Beyond“. You can read more about that work in her recent article for the Winter edition of Without Borders magazine.
Roots in Herbalism
Robin is a graduate of the Aromahead Institute who has worked as an aromatherapy consultant for a hospice in Central NJ (where she is based), written numerous articles for publications such as Aromatherapy Today, Aromatika and AromaCulture, teaches classes, workshops and sees private clients. She runs an online site that specializes in high quality resins with products ranging from carefully sourced whole raw pieces and essential oils to infusions and hydrosols that she creates herself. A recent business member of Herbalists Without Borders, she connected with the organization through a NAHA webinar featuring Denise Cusak, Co-Executive Director of HWB and sensed it would provide a good place to connect with like-minded individuals and businesses.
Given HWB’s global reach and digital network, Robin saw many opportunities to “work behind the scenes” given that she has mobility issues that prevent her from attending a lot of in-person events. She has an active online presence that includes a monthly webinar series and a broad international pipeline for sourcing and distributing her products so she felt like HWB was a a place she could have an impact by utilizing those resources to facilitate donations or building awareness of the organization and encouraging membership.
Forging New Ground – Sourcing and Distributing Boswellic Acid:
While Robin has been researching and distributing Frankincense for more than a decade, her more recent foray into Boswellic Acid has added a new layer to her understanding of the manufacturing process and seeing potential opportunities in the marketplace.
Seven years ago Robin began to dive deeper in her research on Boswellic acid and people with chronic conditions because she was frustrated by the lack of long term studies that tracked patients progress. Given her inclinations towards the holistic approach, it was natural that Robin would gravitate towards Boswellic Acid, which is extracted from the sticky, resinous mass left behind in Frankincense oil distillation. “It’s a by product most companies throw it out — but it’s actually a gold mine and an asset to help people,” she says.
This also led her to understand the role of AKBA (Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid), and how higher percentages of this therapeutic molecule created a more potent product. Additionally, the vast majority of the research, and the supplements on the market, used Boswellia serrata sourced from India and extracted with Hexane, which can leave a residue behind in the sticky biomass.
Then four years ago, after working with different companies and suppliers, she connected with a supplier in Oman that could deliver high quality Boswellia carterii biomass left over from their Essential Oil distillation that had been thoroughly dried and processed into a fine powder for shipment to her partner, Michel Goldbach, in the Netherlands. “It has to be dried completely,” Robin says, “and that can take 2-3 weeks, otherwise it can be moldy or bind together and become hard as a rock.”
That is the raw form of the BA, which can be infused in oil or water, providing a milder form of product, containing about 35% AKBA. The testing to determine potency is done by her partner’s company, Dutch Essentials, an extract company that also performs purity testing in-house for their own products as well as other companies. With commercial grade extraction and testing equipment, they are capable of producing a stable, consistent Boswelllic Acid powder that is extracted with an organic wheat ethanol that leaves no residue and yields an AKBA content of more than 70%. Then they add a bit of black pepper to increase its activation and improve absorption.
US Donation Network
This partnership also enabled Robin to arrange a donation of raw Boswellic Acid powder, French Lavender Essential Oil, Lavender hydrosol and Frankincense (Boswellia caterii) hydrosol for Herbalists Without Borders US Donation Network at the end of 2025. Robin sees these soothing herbals as well suited to providing comfort and protection as the warmer weather emerges.
“The Frankincense hydrosol is calming, great on mosquitos and you can use it directly on the skin,” noting it’s also great as a toner as for directly hydrating dry or sun stressed skin. “It’s grounding and balancing, so it also has mental health benefits.”
Becoming a Business Member with HWB has not only given Robin further opportunities to connect and contribute while expanding her network, she appreciates the opportunity to make donations she knows will find their way to the right channels, “because it’s not just about selling a product, it’s about getting help to people who need it.”