What Does Total Terpenes Mean? Our Lab Results Explained

Total terpenes is the share of a sample, by weight, made up of the compounds on the lab's test list. SC Labs tests for 39. Our February 2026 Live batches read 72.7% to 77.8%. Earlier lab tests put our oil at about 99% terpenes, so most of the gap is terpenes the list doesn't cover. Nothing is added.

What does total terpenes mean?

It's a sum. The lab measures every compound on its list, one by one, and adds them up.

On our reports the list has 39 terpenes and terpenoids, from myrcene and limonene to geraniol and menthol. SC Labs measures them by gas chromatography and reports each one by weight.

So the total is a weight. Strawberry Guava 2025 (Live) read 76.36% total terpenes. That means 764 mg of every gram is made of compounds on the list. A compound that isn't on the list gets no number, even when it's in the bottle.

What did our February 2026 lab results show?

SC Labs tested 10 of our Live profiles in February 2026. Totals ran from 72.7% for Guava Runtz 2026 (Live) to 77.8% for Gummiez 2025 (Live). In each batch the lab found 19 to 24 of the 39 compounds. The others came back not detected.

SC Labs (SC Laboratories California LLC, Santa Cruz) is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited. A summary of each report is on our lab results page.

So what is the rest of the oil?

Mostly more terpenes. Earlier lab tests of our oil measured about 99% terpenes. SC Labs' 39 compound panel doesn't test for all of them, so the totals above leave the rest out. What they leave out falls into two groups.

• Terpenes and terpenoids that aren't on the list. This is most of the gap. Cannabis makes more terpenes than SC Labs' panel lists. A 2020 review counts 58 monoterpenes and 38 sesquiterpenes found in cannabis (Sommano et al., Molecules, 2020). The ones off the list are still in the oil. They just don't get a number.
• Natural aroma compounds that aren't terpenes. About 1% of the oil. They come from the same flower, and the 39 compound panel doesn't measure them.

Research on other cannabis oils points the same way. Researchers who identified the compounds in 17 essential oils from fiber type cannabis found almost nothing but terpenes. The compounds they named covered 92% to 100% of what the instrument detected in each oil (Iseppi et al., Molecules, 2019).

Compounds present in tiny amounts can still shape how cannabis smells. A 2021 study traced the skunky note in cannabis to a family of sulfur compounds. They are present at very low levels, and they are not terpenes (Oswald et al., ACS Omega, 2021).

A 2023 study compared strains with very different aromas. Their main terpenes looked much the same. The sweet and savory notes that set them apart tracked with minor compounds that aren't terpenes (Oswald et al., ACS Omega, 2023).

We don't claim to know every compound in our oil. We do know where all of it comes from: the flower. That's the aroma we work to keep. We don't build a profile from a list of compounds. The terroir is our lab, the plant is our formulator.

Is anything added to make up the rest?

No. Nothing is added: no carriers, diluents or solvents. Every Lágrimas del Sol profile is 100% cannabis derived, captured with solventless cryogenic aroma capture.

Live profiles come from fresh flower straight from the field, never frozen. Cured profiles come from dried, cured flower.

None of the rest is THC or other cannabinoids, either. Our terpenes test at 0.0% cannabinoids on a full panel certificate of analysis.

Is a higher total terpene number better?

Not on its own. A total closer to 100% only means more of the oil is made of compounds on the list. It doesn't tell you how close the oil smells to the flower.

To choose a profile, look at which terpenes lead it. Myrcene leads 9 of our 10 tested profiles. Sour Brulee 2025 (Live) is the exception, led by terpinolene. Our terpene chart lays out all 10 side by side.

Then trust your nose. Shop Live terpenes from $57 or Cured terpenes from $51 for 3 mL. The Discovery Trio lets you pick any three 3 mL profiles for $139, and US orders of $150 and up ship free.

Frequently asked questions

What does total terpenes mean?

It's the combined weight of every compound on the lab's terpene list, as a share of the sample. On our SC Labs reports that list has 39 compounds. A total of 76.36% means 764 mg per gram.

How much of your oil is terpenes?

About 99%, based on earlier lab tests of our oil. SC Labs' 39 compound panel counted 72.7% to 77.8% in our February 2026 Live batches because it doesn't test for every terpene.

Why don't total terpenes add up to 100%?

Because the lab counts only the compounds on its list. Most of what it leaves out is terpenes and terpenoids outside the 39 compound panel. The last 1% or so of our oil is other natural aroma compounds from the same flower.

Is anything added to Lágrimas del Sol terpenes?

No. Nothing is added: no carriers, diluents or solvents. Every profile is 100% cannabis derived.

Is any of the rest THC?

No. Our terpenes test at 0.0% cannabinoids on a full panel certificate of analysis.

What does ND mean on a terpene test?

Not detected. The lab tested for that compound and didn't find it above its detection limit. In each of our February 2026 batches, 15 to 20 of the 39 compounds came back ND.

Keep reading: our terpene chart and Live vs cured terpenes.