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Resins

Q: Is Resins natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Varies by specific resin: tapping/wounding bark (frankincense, myrrh), collecting exudates (benzoin), steam distillation, solvent extraction for resinoids, CO2 extraction. Each resin has its own production method..

RESINS AND BALSAMS / balsamic · warm · rich

Resins

Category	RESINS AND BALSAMS
Subcategory	balsamic · warm · rich
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	Various — Boswellia, Commiphora, Pistacia, Styrax, etc.
Appearance	Pale yellow to dark amber solid or semi-solid masses
Odor Strength	High
Producing Countries	Africa, Asia, Middle East
Pyramid	Base

The overarching family — tree wounds healing with aromatic sap. Resins are frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, styrax, labdanum: warm, sweet, ancient, persistent.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Warm, sweet, ancient. The collective impression of balsamic tree exudates — frankincense smoke, myrrh bitterness, benzoin vanilla, styrax cinnamic sweetness. Complex, persistent, enveloping. The smell of temples, the smell of healing bark, the smell of things that last.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Warm, complex, multiple balsamic-sweet impressions

After a few hours

Deepening warmth, persistent sweetness, ancient

After a few days

Very long-lasting warm-sweet trail, temple-like

The Full Story

'Resins' as a perfumery descriptor refers to the entire family of aromatic tree exudates: frankincense (Boswellia), myrrh (Commiphora), benzoin (Styrax tonkinensis/benzoin), styrax (Liquidambar), labdanum (Cistus), and others.

The common thread is warmth, sweetness, and persistence. Chemically, resins are complex mixtures of terpenes, resinols, and resin acids. Their role in nature is wound-healing — trees produce resin to seal damaged bark against infection.

In perfumery, the resin family constitutes the base-note foundation of Amber, amber, and incense compositions. Each resin has distinct character — frankincense is camphorous-sacred, myrrh is bitter-medicinal, benzoin is sweet-vanilla — but together they form the 'warm base' archetype.

The concept note 'resins' (plural) carries this family collectively: multiple warm, sweet, ancient-smelling tree exudates creating a composite warmth greater than any single member.

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?

Resins are essentially tree blood clots — the same wound-healing mechanism that produces a scab on human skin. Trees secrete resin to seal damage, prevent infection, and deter insects. The most aromatic resins come from trees adapted to arid environments, where wound-healing must be rapid to prevent moisture loss.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Varies by specific resin: tapping/wounding bark (frankincense, myrrh), collecting exudates (benzoin), steam distillation, solvent extraction for resinoids, CO2 extraction. Each resin has its own production method.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixtures of diterpenes and triterpenes
CAS Number	N/A — broad category of natural exudates
Botanical Name	Various — Boswellia, Commiphora, Pistacia, Styrax, etc.
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	balsam, gum, oleoresin
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	High
Appearance	Pale yellow to dark amber solid or semi-solid masses

In Perfumery

Collective base-note family providing warmth, sweetness, and persistence. Encompasses frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, styrax, labdanum, and related materials. Foundation of Amber, amber, and incense compositions. The archetypal 'warm base.'