How many fragrances contain Benzoin (Sumatra)?

Benzoin (Sumatra) is featured in 17 fragrances on Noteboxd.

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Ambery (Oriental)Natural raw material

Benzoin (Sumatra)

Balsamic, woody, vanilla-scented, soft, resinous, powdery, milky and spicy.

Solvent extractionExtraction

Gum-resin excreted by the treeUsed parts

17Fragrances

About

History

Production

All fragrances with Benzoin (Sumatra)

Stéphane Humbert Lucas

Soleil De Jeddah Afterglow

1831 Norma : Opera Collection

Frequently asked

What is Benzoin (Sumatra)?+

Benzoin (Sumatra) is a natural raw material ambery (oriental) perfume note.

What does Benzoin (Sumatra) smell like?+

Balsamic, woody, vanilla-scented, soft, resinous, powdery, milky and spicy.

How is Benzoin (Sumatra) obtained?+

Benzoin (Sumatra) is obtained by solvent extraction, using the gum-resin excreted by the tree.

What are the most popular fragrances with Benzoin (Sumatra)?+

Popular fragrances featuring Benzoin (Sumatra) include Tasman Santal by Première Note, Russkaya Kozha by Berdoues, Le Feu by Floratropia, Soleil De Jeddah Afterglow by Stéphane Humbert Lucas, ranked by community score on Noteboxd.

Improve this page

Ambery (Oriental)Natural raw material

Benzoin (Sumatra)

Balsamic, woody, vanilla-scented, soft, resinous, powdery, milky and spicy.

Solvent extractionExtraction

Gum-resin excreted by the treeUsed parts

17Fragrances

About

History

Production

All fragrances with Benzoin (Sumatra)

Stéphane Humbert Lucas

Soleil De Jeddah Afterglow

1831 Norma : Opera Collection

Frequently asked

What is Benzoin (Sumatra)?+

Benzoin (Sumatra) is a natural raw material ambery (oriental) perfume note.

What does Benzoin (Sumatra) smell like?+

Balsamic, woody, vanilla-scented, soft, resinous, powdery, milky and spicy.

How is Benzoin (Sumatra) obtained?+

Benzoin (Sumatra) is obtained by solvent extraction, using the gum-resin excreted by the tree.

What are the most popular fragrances with Benzoin (Sumatra)?+

Benzoin offers distinctly rich scents of woody, sweet vanilla. Its layered composition unfolds in warm, honeyed facets not dissimilar to caramel, almond or freshly roasted coffee. Subtle floral notes awaken slight nuances of carnations in soft, wispy or even powdery tones. Benzoin is renowned for its qualities as a perfume fixative, providing a fullness and warmth to compositions with its round, buttery-smooth tones. Benzoin can most commonly be found in ambery or gourmand accords.

Alongside its decadently warm aroma, the qualities of benzoin have been celebrated throughout the centuries for their therapeutic healing abilities: balsamic resin has the unique ability to act as a styptic, slowing the bleeding of small wounds, among other useful medicinal purposes. Throughout the Middle Ages, benzoin would be added to an intricate collection of other scented delights and carried in the pomanders of society’s privileged.

Benzoin is acquired through a process of tree “tapping”, whereby the bark is deliberately damaged in order to extract the balsamic resin from trees of the genus Styrax. First, a harvester must bravely climb to the top of the tree and cut the bark several times on his descent to the ground. Once cut, the tree will “cry” precious tears of semi-liquid resin. A curated waiting process of six months ensures that the benzoin hardens. After careful cleaning by hand, the resin “tears” are cleaned and sorted before being extracted with volatile solvents.