Home › Glossary › Pine Tar

Pine Tar

Q: Is Pine Tar natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Pyrolysis (destructive distillation) of pinewood at 300-400C in oxygen-free conditions. The crude tar is then rectified (vacuum-distilled) to remove carcinogenic PAHs for perfumery use..

Q: What perfumes use Pine Tar?

Base note in smoky, leather, and rugged outdoor compositions. Functions as a dark, phenolic smoke element. Contains guaiacol, creosol, and tar acids. Must be rectified (PAH-compliant) for fragrance use. Darker than cade oil, less sweet than birch tar. Used at trace levels in leather and smoky accords.

RESINS AND BALSAMS / balsamic · woody · earthy

Pine Tar

Category	RESINS AND BALSAMS
Subcategory	balsamic · woody · earthy
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	Pinus spp.
Appearance	Dark amber to brown viscous mass
Odor Strength	High
Producing Countries	Canada, Finland, Sweden, United States
Pyramid	Base

Dark, smoky, resinous, and phenolic. The smell of conifer wood slowly pyrolyzed -- thick black smoke, creosote, and the ghost of a forest fire.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Dark, smoky, and phenolic. Like standing downwind of a tar kiln in a Nordic forest -- the thick, black smoke carries creosote, burnt resin, and the particular sweetness of conifer wood decomposing under heat. Aggressive, primal, and outdoors.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Aggressive, smoky, phenolic. Dark and confrontational.

After a few hours

The sharpness softens. Warm, resinous, creosote-sweet smoke.

After a few days

A persistent, smoky-tarry residue. Very long-lasting.

Grades & Aging

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Pine tar is produced by the pyrolysis (destructive distillation) of pinewood -- heating the wood in the absence of oxygen at 300-400C until it breaks down into charcoal and a thick, dark, viscous liquid. The process has been practiced in Scandinavia and the Baltic for thousands of years, originally for waterproofing wooden ships.

The aroma is intensely smoky, resinous, and phenolic: a complex mixture of guaiacol, creosol, phenol, and various tar acids. It is darker and more aggressive than cade oil (from Juniperus oxycedrus) and less sweet than birch tar.

Pine tar rectified (purified to remove carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons/PAHs) is used in perfumery as a smoky base note. It provides a raw, outdoor, fire-associated quality that sits well in leather, smoky, and rugged compositions.

The material is strictly regulated by IFRA due to PAH content. Only rectified grades that meet PAH limits are acceptable for fragrance use.

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

—

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

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Pine tar production in Finland and Sweden dates back over 5,000 years. At its peak in the 17th-18th centuries, the Baltic pine tar trade was so commercially important that Sweden and Finland together supplied most of the world's naval stores. The city of Oulu, Finland, grew wealthy as a pine tar trading center.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Pyrolysis (destructive distillation) of pinewood at 300-400C in oxygen-free conditions. The crude tar is then rectified (vacuum-distilled) to remove carcinogenic PAHs for perfumery use.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture — key components: Guaiacol (C₇H₈O₂), Cresol (C₇H₈O), Phenol (C₆H₆O)
CAS Number	8011-48-1
Botanical Name	Pinus spp.
IFRA Status	Restricted — must contain < 10 mmol/L peroxides
Synonyms	PINE PITCH · WOOD TAR · TAR OIL
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	High
Appearance	Dark amber to brown viscous mass
Specific Gravity	1.030–1.070 @ 25°C

In Perfumery

Base note in smoky, leather, and rugged outdoor compositions. Functions as a dark, phenolic smoke element. Contains guaiacol, creosol, and tar acids. Must be rectified (PAH-compliant) for fragrance use. Darker than cade oil, less sweet than birch tar. Used at trace levels in leather and smoky accords.