Copaifera langsdorffii, C. reticulata, C. officinalis (and other Copaifera spp.)
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber, slightly viscous clear liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Brazil
Pyramid
Base
Pale, resinous transparency — like sniffing a plank of tropical hardwood through a gauze of black pepper. Drier and quieter than Peru balsam, without the vanilla push. An oleoresin that barely announces itself yet refuses to leave.
Dry, peppery wood with a transparent balsamic undertow. Imagine holding a freshly planed tropical hardwood plank close to your nose while someone cracks black peppercorns nearby — that is the opening. After an hour, the pepper recedes and a quiet, resinous warmth settles, drier than benzoin, less animalic than labdanum, cleaner than opoponax. A faint, almost medicinal camphor thread runs through it without becoming clinical.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Dry, peppery-camphorous transparency over a pale woody warmth. A slight medicinal sharpness.
After a few hours
After a few hours
Pepper fades. Smooth, quiet balsamic warmth — dry resin, soft wood, a trace of honey. No sweetness push.
After a few days
After a few days
Clean woody-amber residue. Barely sweet, faintly resinous, persistent. The skeleton of a base note.
Grades & Aging
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Copahu — more accurately copaiba — is an oleoresin tapped directly from the trunk of Copaifera trees in the Amazon basin. Despite its trade name, it is not a true balsam: it lacks the cinnamic and benzoic acids that define that chemical class. What flows from the incision is a pale yellow to amber liquid, slightly viscous, already usable without further processing — one of the few natural perfumery materials employed in its raw state.
The dominant volatile constituent is beta-caryophyllene (CAS 87-44-5), a bicyclic sesquiterpene. Its concentration varies sharply by species: Copaifera officinalis can reach 87%, C. reticulata up to 68%, while C. langsdorffii — the most commonly cited botanical source — typically contains 5–33%. This variability means that two bottles labelled 'copaiba balsam' may smell noticeably different. Alongside beta-caryophyllene, the oleoresin contains alpha-humulene, alpha-copaene, delta-cadinene, beta-bisabolene, and a non-volatile diterpene acid fraction that contributes to its fixative weight.
On a smelling strip, copaiba opens with a dry, peppery-woody transparency — almost camphorous — then settles into a quiet, balsamic warmth with a faint honey undertone. It is far less sweet than benzoin, less smoky than labdanum, and thinner than Peru balsam. The odor strength is medium at best; its value lies not in projection but in persistence and blending.
Commercially, copaiba is one of the least expensive natural fixatives. Yield per tree averages 0.1–0.8 litres per harvest depending on trunk diameter and species, with mid-size trees (45–65 cm DBH) producing the most. Reharvested trees yield roughly 35% of the original volume. The oleoresin is tapped year-round in the Brazilian states of Pará, Amazonas, and Rondônia, where it remains an important non-timber forest product.
This note in Première Peau. Albâtre Sépia · Simili Mirage. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Beta-caryophyllene, the dominant molecule in copaiba oleoresin, was identified in 2008 as a 'dietary cannabinoid' — it binds selectively to CB2 receptors with a Ki of 155 nM, making it one of the only terpenes that directly activates the endocannabinoid system without producing psychoactive effects (Gertsch et al., PNAS, 2008, PMID 18574142).
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: The oleoresin is collected by tapping: the trunk of a Copaifera tree is drilled or incised, and the liquid flows naturally from the wound — a process analogous to rubber or maple syrup tapping, not to resin distillation. The crude oleoresin is used directly in perfumery without further processing, making copaiba one of the very few natural materials employed in its raw state.
For copaiba essential oil (CAS 8013-97-6), the crude oleoresin is steam-distilled to separate the volatile sesquiterpene fraction from the heavier diterpene acids. Average yield per tree ranges from 0.1 to 0.8 litres per harvest, with mid-diameter trees (45–65 cm DBH) producing the highest volumes. Reharvested trees produce approximately 35% of the initial yield.
Beta-caryophyllene C₁₅H₂₄ (major sesquiterpene; 5–87% depending on species)
CAS Number
8001-61-4
Botanical Name
Copaifera langsdorffii, C. reticulata, C. officinalis (and other Copaifera spp.)
IFRA Status
Restricted — max 5% in fragrance concentrate (TGSC/RIFM recommendation). IFRA 51st Amendment conformity certificates exist with category-specific limits.
Synonyms
Copaiba balsam, copaiba oil
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
100 hours at 20.00%
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber, slightly viscous clear liquid
Flash Point
93°C
Refractive Index
1.4950–1.5100 @ 20°C
In Perfumery
Base-note fixative and blender-modifier in amber, woody, and chypre compositions. Copaiba's primary contribution is mechanical: it extends the tenacity of more volatile materials above it — citrus oils, lavender, bergamot — without imposing strong character of its own. Its medium odor strength and 100+ hour substantivity at 20% concentration make it a workhorse anchor in functional and fine fragrance alike. The high beta-caryophyllene content gives it a peppery edge that bridges resinous bases (benzoin, myrrh, olibanum) with woody hearts (cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver). It is commonly deployed in fougère and lavender-based compositions for detergent perfumery, and in low-cost amber bases where it substitutes for more expensive balsams. In a skin-scent register — warm ambers, saffron-oud accords — copaiba can is a quiet resinous bed.
