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Mopane

Q: Is Mopane natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No commercial essential oil or absolute of Colophospermum mopane exists in mainstream perfumery supply chains. The note is reconstructed as a fantasy accord..

RESINS AND BALSAMS / woody · balsamic · warm

Mopane

Category	RESINS AND BALSAMS
Subcategory	woody · balsamic · warm
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	Colophospermum mopane
Appearance	N/A — no standard commercial essential oil; the wood has a resinous, balsamic character
Odor Strength	High
Producing Countries	Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe
Pyramid	Base

Dry, resinous, faintly balsamic with an insect-wax sweetness. Mopane smells like sun-cracked bark in the southern African bushveld -- warm wood, red dust, a trace of turpentine.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Dry resinous wood with a faint balsamic sweetness and a hint of turpentine. Drier than copaiba, less smoky than guaiac, with an earthy-mineral undertone like sun-heated red soil. The waxy edge (from mopane worm associations) is subtle -- think beeswax left on a warm stone.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Dry resinous bark, faint turpentine, warm dust

After a few hours

Balsamic sweetness emerges, waxy undertone deepens

After a few days

Quiet dry-wood warmth, earthy-mineral trace

The Full Story

Mopane refers to the aromatic impression of Colophospermum mopane, a leguminous tree dominant across southern African savanna. The wood and resin produce a dry, balsamic, slightly turpenic aroma. The tree is also the sole food source for the mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina), whose frass and cocoons carry a particular waxy-sweet scent that contributes to the broader olfactory field of mopane woodland.

No commercial essential oil or absolute of mopane is traded in mainstream perfumery. The note is reconstructed as an accord evoking dry African wood, warm resin, and red laterite dust. Construction materials typically include guaiac wood oil (for dry smoke), copaiba balsam (for resinous warmth), and vetiver (for earthy depth), blended with small amounts of beeswax absolute for the characteristic waxy sweetness.

Functionally, mopane sits in the base zone as a dry-woody modifier. It provides a distinctly African terroir impression -- drier and less sweet than oud, less smoky than birch tar, with an almost mineral quality from the laterite association.

This note in Première Peau. Albâtre Sépia · Simili Mirage. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Amberwood · Andiroba · Bakhoor · Balsamic Notes · Benzoin Resinoid · Benzyl Benzoate · Benzyl Salicylate · Birch Tar

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Mopane wood is so dense (specific gravity ~1.1) that it sinks in water. Termites avoid it, making it a durable building materials in southern Africa -- and one of the reasons the tree's aromatic resin stays trapped in the heartwood for decades.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial essential oil or absolute of Colophospermum mopane exists in mainstream perfumery supply chains. The note is reconstructed as a fantasy accord.

Molecular Formula	N/A — no standard commercial essential oil
CAS Number	N/A — no standard commercial essential oil
Botanical Name	Colophospermum mopane
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Mopane resin, Mopane wood
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	High
Appearance	N/A — no standard commercial essential oil; the wood has a resinous, balsamic character

In Perfumery

Mopane is a reconstructed accord functioning as a dry-woody base modifier. It carries southern African bushveld: warm bark, red dust, faint balsamic resin. Built from guaiac wood oil, copaiba balsam, vetiver, and beeswax absolute. The note provides an African terroir signature in woody, earthy, and naturalistic compositions -- drier and less sweet than oud, less smoky than birch tar.