Is Mopane natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Mopane

AccordRESINS & BALSAMSwoody · balsamic · warm

BasePyramid

4/5Strength

—Tenacity

3Origins

Editorial noteWe own no rights to this material, its name or its trademark. This entry is independent editorial journalism, published under freedom of expression.

Specimen

Colophospermum mopane

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

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.

WOODY EARTHY SWEET BALSAMIC WARM FRESH RESINOUS

Mopane resin, Mopane wood

Type: Accord
Olfactive family: Resinous
Subfamily: Sweet balsams
Cluster: Classic resins
Source: Colophospermum mopane (mopane tree), native to southern Africa; the resinous bark and wood chips yield the aromatic material, sometimes combined with mopane worm secretion accord.

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

4/5Strength

High

odour strength

Producing countries

Botswana Namibia Zimbabwe

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.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

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.

—

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

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.

Formula: N/A — no standard commercial essential oil
CAS: N/A — no standard commercial essential oil
Botanical: Colophospermum mopane
Appearance: N/A — no standard commercial essential oil; the wood has a resinous, balsamic character
Odour strength: High
Synonyms: Mopane resin, Mopane wood

IFRA status

See note

Not applicable: accord or concept, not a single material

Physical properties

Note: No standard commercial essential oil. Mopane wood is valued for its density and resinous character; the scent is earthy, balsamic, and slightly smoky.

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.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02signature note

03blender

04volume builder

05freshness

Available as

synthetic accord fantasy note